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Class 

Book.- 

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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



The Golden Age of 
the World 

under the 

Personal Reign of King Jesus 

with 

Concomitant Events 



BY 

Rev. John S. Austin 



To the Laiv and to the Testimony 

Isaiah 8:20 

Thy Testimonies are 'very sure 

Psalm 93:5 



1916 

Robert Smith Printing Company 

LANSING, MICHIGAN, U. S. A. 






Copyright 1916 

BY 

Rev. John S. Austin 



APR 12 1916 
©CLA428476 



PREFACE. 

For many years I have been much interested in the sub- 
ject of the Millennium; or the "Golden Age of the World." 
I have read numbers of books on both Post- and Premillen- 
nialism ; but there seemed to be so much to be said in favour 
of each theory, that I could come to no definite conclusion 
on the matter 

One day, however, it was deeply impressed on my mind 
that I should go to the Word of God, and search it thor- 
oughly to ascertain what was the mind of God on the sub- 
ject; and I had the conviction that if I did so, I would get 
light. I at once made it a matter of earnest prayer, pleading 
such promises as, — "If any of you lack wisdom, let him 
ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth 
not; and it shall be given him." "When he, the Spirit of 
truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth." "If any 
man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether 
it be of God." I then laid down my plan of study; first 
making a list of the various subjects bearing upon the 
Millennium : after which I read very carefully all those por- 
tions of the Bible that would be likely to afford any light 
on the subject; viz: Deuteronomy, Psalms, all the Prophets, 
and the whole of the New Testament ; carefully noting every 
passage that bore in any way upon the subjects before me. 
I then examined each passage separately, and compared 
Scripture with Scripture; and as I did so, the darkness dis- 
appeared; my very soul seemed illumined with the light of 
God's Word; and I felt I must commit to writing what I 
had so learned. 

3 



4 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

I need scarcely say that I claim no literary merit for the 
book, for I am not a literary man ; but, having obtained such 
abundant satisfaction and profit to my own soul in the 
study of this delightful subject, I am conscious that others 
should obtain the same : and to this end, I have let the Word 
speak for itself as far as possible; and instead of referring 
the reader to the various passages, to be looked up in the 
Bible, I have given them in full: this has necessitated a 
somewhat larger book than would otherwise have been re- 
quired, but this is more than compensated for by the ad- 
vantage of having the text at hand, without the trouble and 
loss of time in turning it up. 

And now I commend to the reader this humble effort to 
spread abroad what I believe to be the Teaching of God's 
Word on these great events, which must shortly come to 
pass : praying God's blessing to accompany the work. 

JOHN S. AUSTIN. 



CONTENTS. 

I. The Golden Age oe the World 7 

II. The Kingdom 18 

III. The Day oE the Lord 39 

IV. State oe the Wored at Christ's Second 

Advent 44 

V. Universal Righteousness Not Brought in 

Prior to Christ's Second Advent 49 

VI. The Return oe Israel to Palestine 57 

VII. Antichrist and Babylon 81 

VIII. Christ's Second Coming 93 

IX. The First Resurrection 99 

X. The Judgment oe the Saints 127 

XI. The Judgment oe the Nations 136 

XII. The Conversion oe the World 142 

XIII. Christ's Personal Reign 148 

XIV. The Reign oe the Saints with Christ 161 

XV. The Last Revolt 167 

XVI. The Final Judgment 171 

XVII. The New Heaven and Earth 175 



CHAPTER I. 

The Golden Age of the World. 

"And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the 
key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And 
he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the 
Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast 
him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal 
upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the 
thousand years should be fulfilled; and after that he must be 
loosed a little season. 

"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment 
was given unto them ; and I saw the souls of them that were 
beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, 
and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, 
neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their 
hands ; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 

"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand 
years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and 
holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the 
second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God 
and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." 
Revelation 20:1-6. 

The above is the great passage upon which the doctrine 
of a Millennium of earthly blessedness, after Christ's Second 
Advent, is built. But there are numerous other passages 
in the Word of God which speak of a time of universal 
peace; a time of earth's regeneration; a Sabbath rest for 
God's people; etc., etc. And in the above passage these 
prophecies are summed up ; and the time they are to last 
is determined. 

Both Post- and Premillennialists teach, that there will be 
a time of universal peace and righteousness for this world ; 

7 



8 THE GOLDEN AGE OP THE WORLD 

the former say it will be brought about by the preaching of 
the Gospel, and the influence of the Holy Spirit, during the 
present dispensation ; while the latter say it will be brought 
about by the Second Advent, and the Personal reign of 
Christ. As to which of these two theories is correct, I must 
leave the reader to judge, when he has heard the evidence". 
My appeal is to the Word of God. First, however, let us 
consider some of those passages to which I have referred; 
which teach that there shall come a time of universal bless- 
edness. 

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the moun- 
tain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the 
mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations 
shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come 
ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house 
of the God of Jacob ; and he will teach us of his ways, and we 
will walk in his paths : for out of Zion shall go forth the law, 
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge 
among the nations, and shall rebuke many people : and they 
shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into 
pruning hooks : nation shall not lift up swords against nation, 
neither shall they learn war any more." Isaiah 2 12-4. 

Here we have a beautiful prophecy of the glorious times 
of which I write; and that these words are to be taken 
literally, is evident, from the first verse of the chapter. 

"The words that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning 
Judah and Jerusalem." 

And what was it that he saw? The temple once more 
established on Mount Zion, and all nations flocking unto it : 
Jerusalem once more the seat of authority and power; the 
Lord himself being the ruler of the nations ; and under his 
beneficent reign there was universal peace. 



THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 9 

A little further on the prophet has another beautiful 
vision of universal peace ; so far as the animal creation is 
concerned. 

"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard 
shall lie down with the kid ; and the calf and the young lion and 
the fatling together ; and a little child shall lead them. 

"And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall 
lie down together ; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 
And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and 
the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. 
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain : for 
the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the 
waters cover the sea." Is. n :6-g. 

And this also is brought about by the reign of the "Branch 
of Jesse." I know there are those who say that is figurative 
language, except the last clause; and that it simply means 
peace among men of different temperaments, etc. But 
where is the proof? There is none forthcoming: so I 
prefer to take the Word of God as it stands ; especially so, 
as it is confirmed by the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the 
Romans. Here is what he says : — 

"For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the 
manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made 
subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who 
hath subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself 
also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into 
the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that 
the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together 
until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have 
the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within 
ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to-wit, the redemption of 
our body." Rom. 8:19-23. 

From these passages it is evident that the lower animal 
creation will share in the blessings of the "Golden Age" 



10 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

that is yet to come ; and the Apostle tells us when that shall 
be, viz : at the redemption of our bodies, for which we also 
groan and wait: so that, unless we are prepared to believe 
that the lower animals will be admitted into the new Jeru- 
salem, we must accept the plain statement of the prophet 
that, in the regeneration or Millennium, when Christ and 
his saints shall rule over the earth; the animals will be 
restored to their primeval state of peace and happiness, 
as well as the sons of men. 

In chapter 65 of the same prophet, we have a still further 
description of the coming age. 

"Be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, 
behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. 
And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and 
the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the 
voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of 
days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days : for the 
child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being 
an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build 
houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and 
eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another in- 
habit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of 
a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long 
enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, 
nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the 
blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them. And it 
shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and 
while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the 
lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the 
bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not 
hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the IyOrd." 
Is. 65:18-25. 

It seems to me that it is impossible to get away from a 
literal interpretation of these words : to spiritualize them, as 



THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 11 

some attempt to do, is to make nonsense of them. How 
shall we interpret in a spiritual sense these words : — 

"And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they 
shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them," etc. Verses 
21-22. 

Then again, we cannot apply them to the new earth, for 
although in the 17th verse, God says : — 

"Behold I create new heavens and a new earth; and the 
former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind." 

He breaks off there, and goes on to speak of the earthly 
Jerusalem, and the glorious time coming for his elect people, 
the children of Israel; and, as shown by other Scriptures, 
for all mankind. In this passage a number of great bless- 
ings are promised in connection with this coming time. 
First, Longevity. It is evident that man's days upon earth 
will be lengthened out wonderfully; probably to what they 
were before the flood; for, if anyone dying at 100 years will 
be considered a child, then a man of full age would be seven 
or eight hundred, or even 1,000 years old ; so that it would be 
quite possible for some who entered the Millennium to see 
its close. Then again, there will be no more poverty, for 
the land shall yield her increase : and sorrow and tears shall 
to a large extent be done away ; for men shall live as brethren, 
and all oppression, robbery, and violence shall cease under 
the rule of the Prince of Peace. Of course, I do not mean 
that this glorious age will be perfect; we must wait for the 
new earth to get perfection : but it will be glorious beyond 
description, compared with the present state of things. 
There will doubtless be death as indicated in the words, — 
"The child shall die an hundred years old;" but death will 
be a very rare occurrence; while sickness will be almost 



12 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

unknown. And while sin will not be entirely abolished, 
every outward manifestation of it will be instantly sup- 
pressed; for, ''He shall rule them with a rod of iron," and, 
"Righteousness shall cover the earth, as the waters cover 
the mighty deep." In the last verse we have another state- 
ment concerning the change that will come over the animal 
creation ; still further confirming what I have said on that 
point. 

There are a number of other Old Testament Scriptures 
bearing on this subject, but, as we shall have to refer to them 
in succeeding chapters we leave them for the present. There 
is one New Testament passage, however, to which I must 
draw attention ; viz : Hebrews 4 :g. "There remaineth there- 
fore a rest to the people of God." In the margin it reads, — 
"A keeping of a Sabbath," while in the Revised Version it 
is, — "A Sabbath rest." This passage is generally supposed 
to refer to the rest of heaven ; and I must confess that I 
have several times preached from the text, and given it 
that meaning; but when in my consecutive reading I came 
to this chapter, new light came to me, and I doubted if this 
were the correct interpretation; for I thought I saw in it 
a promise of a Millennium of rest for the world, after 6,000 
years of strife and discord. Of course, I may possibly be 
wrong on this point, and will not, therefore, speak definitely 
on it ; but simply give my reasons for thinking as I do, and 
leave the reader to judge if they are sufficient. In the third 
chapter of Hebrews, the Apostle speaks of the rest of 
Canaan, promised to the Israelites when they came out of 
Egypt; into which, however, they did not enter because of 
unbelief; and he quotes an exhortation of David taken from 
the 95th Psalm, where he says : — 



THE GOLDEN AGE OP THE WORLD 13 

"To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as 
in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness : 
when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works 
forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, 
and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have 
not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall 
not enter into my rest." 

He then proceeds to exhort the Hebrew Christians to 
steadfastness, lest they also should fail of attaining unto 
rest; and repeats once more the words of the Psalmist: — 

"To day if ye will hear his voice," etc. 

In the opening of the 4th chapter he speaks of a rest 
being promised to them, — 

"Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering 
into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For 
unto us was the gospel (good tidings) preached as well as 
unto them ; but the word preached did not profit them, not 
being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which 
have believed do enter into rest." v. 1-3. 

The Apostle has no doubt whatever that believers will 
have a rest; hence he puts it in the most definite form, as 
is already accomplished ; and in fact the rest that comes 
to the human soul through faith in Jesus, is a blessed fore- 
taste of the future. Having thus definitely spoken of the 
believers' rest, he goes on to shew that this rest was not 
the rest of the seventh day, established at the creation; 
neither was it the rest that Joshua gave to the children of 
the unbelievers when they entered the promised land; be- 
cause David speaks of another day. The conclusion he 
comes to is, — "There remaineth therefore a rest to the 
people of God." And he goes on to say that just as God 
rested from his works, so Christ had entered into his rest, 
and believers, if faithful, should enter into theirs. 



14 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

It may be noticed, perhaps, that in the Psalm referred to 
above, the Psalmist does not really mention a rest, except 
the rest of Canaan ; so that the Apostle reads more into his 
words than appears on the surface ; for he says in verse 8 : — 

"If Jesus had given them rest, then would he (the Psalmist) 
not afterward have spoken of another day." 

i. e., another day of rest. 

And his reference to the rest of Canaan would have no 
point if it were not so, and the Apostle takes it for granted 
that this is understood. But now comes the question, — 
What did David mean? and what did the Apostle mean by 
this rest? The word used by the Apostle in the 9th verse, 
and here translated "rest," means a Sabbath rest, as I have 
before mentioned, and is so translated in the Revised 
Version ; and the same word is not used in any other place 
in the New Testament. It is evident, therefore, that the 
Apostle must have had some special reason for using that 
particular word : and if, as many of the fathers believed, the 
world would after 6,000 years, have its Millennium of rest, 
in which the risen saints will be united with Christ in the 
rule of the world ; we cannot imagine a more suitable word 
to express the rest "that remaineth to the people of God." 
And this idea is supported by the Apostle's reference to 
God resting on the seventh day after the six days' work, 
and Christ's entering into his rest ; and we know that Christ 
finished his work on the sixth day of the week, and rested 
on the seventh : and so, for the saints also, "there remaineth a 
Sabbath rest." But is it not possible that we may get some 
further light from the Psalm to which reference has been 
made, and the five which follow? For in reading these 
Psalms I could not help noticing the very intimate connec- 
tion that exists between them: and as I re-read them, I 



THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 15 

was convinced that they contained glorious prophecies of the 
reign of Christ over the earth during the Millennium; and 
that this was the rest indicated in the first of the series. It 
would occupy too much space to quote the whole of these 
Psalms, or to attempt a full exposition of them ; so I must 
depart from my usual order, and ask the reader to read them 
from his Bible. The following, however, is a brief outline 
of their contents. First, let me say that there can be little 
doubt that David is the author of them all. The Apostle 
ascribes Psalm 95 to him, and the others are evidently writ- 
ten by the same hand. I was interested to find, some time 
after I had written the above, that the Rev. Charles Spur- 
geon in his Commentary on the Psalms, has this quotation 
from one of the old Divines, — "These six Psalms 95 to 100, 
form, if I mistake not, one entire prophetic poem." That 
this is the case I think will be seen by any one who will take 
the trouble to read them carefully. Psalm 95 opens with 
an exhortation to worship and serve the Lord, because of 
his greatness, and his wonderful works ; and then the 
Psalmist warns them not to harden their hearts as their 
fathers did in the wilderness : thereby losing their rest ; and 
intimating that there was a rest yet in the future. Psalm 96 
opens also with an exhortation to praise the Lord, and give 
glory to him ; also to tell the glorious news to the heathen, 
that the Lord reigneth. The Psalmist then calls upon all 
nature to rejoice because of the coming of the Lord, to be 
the ruler and judge of the earth. In the next Psalm he 
starts with the declaration "The Lord reigneth." He sees 
him by prophetic vision seated on his throne; and describes 
the effect of his coming, using one figure especially that is 
frequently used in connection with Christ's second coming; 
viz, fire: "A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his 
enemies round about, His lightnings enlightened the world, 



16 THE GOLDEN AGE OP THE WORLD 

the earth saw and trembled." He then describes the joy of 
Zion and the righteous generally. The 98th opens with 
an exhortation to praise the Lord with a new song, because 
of his great victory, and states that he has remembered his 
mercy and truth toward Israel ; and that "all the ends of the 
earth have seen the salvation of God." And at the thought 
of this wonderful time, he bursts forth into another exhorta- 
tion to all men, and all nature to praise the Lord ; and closes 
that portion of the poem in almost the same words as he 
closes the second Psalm of the series, declaring that the 
Lord will "judge the world in righteousness, and the people 
with equity." He then starts afresh with the declaration, — 
"The Lord reigneth," adding now, — "He sitteth between the 
cherubim," i. e., the most holy place of the temple; adding 
still further, — "The Lord is great in Zion ; and he is high 
above all the people." And then his rule or judgment of 
the earth is again referred to, especially in connection with 
Jacob or Israel. This is followed by another brief exhorta- 
tion to, — "Exalt the Lord, and worship at his footstool ; 
because he is holy." Some of the Old Testament saints then 
appear on the scene ; "Moses and Aaron among his priests, 
and Samuel among them that call upon his name." And 
this is only natural because of their old relationship to God 
and his sanctuary. The 100th Psalm may well be called, — 
"A Psalm of Thanksgiving." It is the grand finale, and 
must be quoted in full : — 

"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands. Serve the 
Lord with gladness : come before his presence with singing. 
Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, 
and not we ourselves ; we are his people, and the sheep of his 
pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his 
courts with praise : be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 
For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth 
endureth to all generations." 



THE GOLDEN AGE OP THE WORLD 17 

To sum up then, we believe "the rest that remaineth for 
the people of God/' is first of all the seventh Millennium of 
the world's history ; the thousand years during which Christ 
and his saints will rule the world; every knee bowing to 
him, and every tongue confessing that he is the Christ to 
the glory of God the Father. After which this "Sabbath 
rest" will merge into the everlasting rest in the new heaven 
and the new earth. 

And now in conclusion, we go back to the great passage 
that we quoted at the beginning of this chapter, Rev. 20:1-6, 
and it seems to me that whatever uncertainty might exist in 
the mind of any one on this subject, should be removed by 
the plain statement of what John saw in the vision : for I 
have no hesitation in saying that all the efforts to spiritualize 
these words, and rob them of their plain meaning, so far as 
the thousand years of peace and righteousness is concerned, 
have utterly failed; and this blessed time comes after the 
resurrection of the saints, and Christ's second coming. 



CHAPTER II. 
The: Kingdom. 

The next subject that claims our attention is "The King- 
dom." In the Word of God we read of "The Kingdom," 
"The Kingdom of God," "The Kingdom of heaven," and 
"Christ's Kingdom." It is all important for us to under- 
stand to what these terms refer. That some of them are used 
interchangeably is evident, and sometimes it is difficult to 
understand their meaning; i. e., the term may refer to the 
rule of God in the heart; the spiritual rule of Chirst over 
his Church ; the Millennial Kingdom ; or God's final King- 
dom. 

Generally, however, the meaning is fairly plain. I shall 
omit all reference to those passages that concern the King- 
dom in man's heart, except one or two; as they have no 
connection with my subject. 

The same to some extent may be said of those referring 
to the Church on earth at the present time ; but as some of 
these have formed subjects of contention between Post- and 
Premillennialists for many years, I must take some notice 
of them. The passages I refer to are those parables in 
which Christ has set forth the things concerning his Church. 
But I will only deal with those contained in the 13th of Mat- 
thew. Here we have a set of seven parables, in which dif- 
ferent phases of Christ's spiritual Kingdom are set forth. 
None of these parables have to do with the world as a whole ; 
they are parables of the Church. True in Nos. 1 and 2, the 
field is spoken of as the world; but the parable deals with 
those who are taken out of the world; those who hear the 

18 



THE KINGDOM 19 

teachings of Christ, and become at least, professors of 
Christ's religion. The parable of the Sower needs no ex- 
planation seeing that Christ has given us his own interpreta- 
tion ; but we need to notice this important fact, that many 
of those who, to a certain extent espouse Christ's cause, 
prove failures ; thus confirming the statement ; "Many are 
called but few chosen." In the parable of the Tares also, 
Christ has given us his own interpretation and I need only 
to add, that the end of the world here spoken of is, literally, 
the end of the age. 

The parables of the Mustard Seed, and the Leaven, have 
given rise to a great deal of controversy: the Postmillen- 
nialists contending that in the parable of the Mustard Seed 
we have set forth the great growth, and world wide ex- 
tent of the true Church of Christ ; and in the parable of the 
Leaven is shewn the means by which this will be accom- 
plished ; viz : the leavening of the whole world by the Gospel. 
Here is a brief extract from Dr. David Brown's work on 
"The Second Advent:" "Similar is the import of the parable 
of the Mustard Seed, and of the Leaven, — holding forth the 
truth as it is in Jesus, in its progressive advancement, till, 
like a tree, springing from the least of seeds, it ultimately 
overshadows the world; and like leaven, working its way 
through the mass of human society, it at length leavens it 
all." Premillennialists teach, that although the parable of 
the Mustard Seed represents the Church in the smallness 
and insignificance of its beginning; the abnormal develop- 
ment of it into a great tree, in whose branches the birds 
lodge; indicates its departure from its true character into a 
world wide corrupt Church; and that the birds represent 
evil influences and principles, etc., while the parable of the 
Leaven teaches how the Church will be corrupted; viz: by 
being leavened with evil doctrines, etc. Here are one or 



20 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

two brief extracts from Premillennial writers. Henry Var- 
ley in, — "Christ's Coming Kingdom," says : "Well did our 
Lord say, — 'The Kingdom of heaven' (the condition during 
his absence) is like unto a grain of mustard seed," etc. Has 
not this corrupt growth been seen? Have we not here 
clearly revealed the figure of a wide and far spreading 
nominal Christianity — a kind of nationally baptized heathen- 
ism ? * * * * * We do not hesitate to affirm that the 
birds lodging in the branches, comprehend the world, the 
flesh, and the devil, in fairly comfortable quarters in Chris- 
tendom, and satisfied with their position. ***** 
The parable of the Leaven gives the mystery of the work- 
ing of an insiduous and subtle agent. ****** 
Here is pure meal — the real and true doctrine of Christ. 
Our Lord represents a woman hiding leaven in this pure 
meal. ***** 5J le stealthily introduces an active 
and corrupting element into the meal. She did not intend 
to preserve its purity. Her object was to effect its deteriora- 
tion and corruption." He then goes on to shew that this is 
just what has been done in the Church ; and that it is getting 
worse; which may be true to some extent; but that this is 
the meaning of the parable I do not believe. 

The Rev. T. Waugh, an English Wesleyan Evangelist, in 
his book, — "When Jesus Comes," says : "The third parable 
tells us of the mustard seed which became a great tree. As 
a tree in Scripture is spoken of as a symbol of power, our 
Lord here teaches that Christendom will become a great force 
in the world. According to verses 4 and 19, the 'fowls of 
the air,' are emblems of evil, and representatives of the devil. 
I believe them to be the principles of the world, the flesh, 
and the devil, finding themselves only too comfortable and 
too much at home in degenerate Christendom. * * * * 
No picture could more vividly portray the corruption and 



THE KINGDOM 21 

secularization of the visible Church since the close of the 
third century." He then goes on to speak of the parable 
of the Leaven, and sums up in these words, — "The meal is 
the Kingdom in the world, gradually leavened and corrupted 
by false doctrine, hypocrisy, and worldly principles." Sev- 
eral other writers give the same meaning to these parables ; 
but I confess I have never been able so to understand them, 
and yet, on the other hand, I cannot agree with the Post- 
millennialists, that these parables represent a world-wide 
Kingdom of Christ ; the figures used, especially the first, are 
too insignificant to warrant such an interpretation ; but they 
are eminently suited for the purpose that Christ intended. 
Before speaking of that, however, let me say that the state- 
ments of some writers about the abnormal growth of the 
mustard tree are not correct. There is nothing of the kind 
mentioned in the parable ; here it is : — 

"The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, 
which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is least 
of all seeds, but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, 
and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge 
in the branches thereof." 

There is no hint here of anything unnatural, the growth is 
spoken of as a common thing, something they all under- 
stood. The fact is, the mustard plant of the East does grow 
to a considerable size. Thompson, in "The Land and the 
Book," states that he has seen the wild mustard as high as 
a horse and his rider, and, that under cultivation it would 
doubtless grow higher still. Certainly it was quite high 
enough for the birds to lodge in its branches, or to settle and 
rest there; for it does not necessarily mean, as so many 
seem to think that the birds made their homes there. The 
word here translated lodge, is only used three times in the 



22 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

New Testament, and in each case it is in connection with 
the parable ; the world lodge is used many times, but in every 
other case it is a different word in the original, in fact, 
two or three other words are used, but in no case I think 
have they, in addition to the ordinary meaning, the idea 
of resting or settling upon ; and the fact that Christ used the 
word that has this additional meaning indicates that that 
was what he meant. It has often been stated that the par- 
able of the Sower, was probably suggested by seeing a man 
sowing seed in his field, near to where Christ was teaching; 
and may we not suppose that Jesus, seeing a full grown 
mustard tree, with the birds flocking to it, and settling on 
its branches, while they ate its pungent seed; directed the 
attention of the people to it, and then gave his parable? 
Doubtless, the reason why Christ chose the mustard tree 
for his parable, was because of the great disparity between 
the size of the seed, and that of the shrub, or tree, that 
sprang from it ; teaching the people thereby that though his 
spiritual Kingdom might seem to them small and insignifi- 
cant in its beginning, it would grow and develop into a 
mighty Church; which it has done: but there is no indica- 
tion that the world would be gathered into its fold ; in fact, 
that would contradict the teaching of several of the other 
parables. In the parable of the Leaven, we have an illustra- 
tion of the development of the Kingdom, or the work of 
grace in the human soul. When once the Kingdom is set 
up in the heart, the natural process is, for it to permeate the 
whole nature; hence, the prayer of the Apostle for the 
Church at Thessalonica : — 

"The very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God 
your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless 
unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." I Thess. 5 .23. 



THE KINGDOM 23 

And here possibly we may see one reason for saying 
"three measures of meal," indicating thereby man's threefold 
nature; body, soul, and spirit. It is only fair however to 
say, that three measures of meal seems to have been the 
amount ordinarily used in baking; hence Abraham said to 
Sarah, — "Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal," 
etc. Gen. 18:6. Again, we read in Judges 6:19, "And 
Gideon went in, and make ready a kid, and unleavened cakes 
of an ephah (three Jewish measures) of flour." See also 1 
Samuel 1 '.24, And this may be one reason for its use in 
the parable; but I think it is highly probable that the other 
is included. That the parable refers to the Kingdom of 
heaven in the soul, I would not say; but that that was its 
primary meaning I think is clear, for, if not, then this most 
important phase of the Kingdom is not set forth in any of 
the parables ; and that is scarcely conceivable ; but it may be 
intended also to illustrate the development of God's work in 
Society, or in any given community, as has often been seen 
in the various mission fields : but there is not the slightest 
intimation that the whole human race would be leavened 
by the Gospel. 

The parables of the Treasure, and the Pearl, have no 
connection with my subject; and of the last, The Fishing 
Net ; I need only say a few words. In this parable we have 
a picture of the great mission work of the Church. Christ 
said, — "I will make you fishers of men." And he gave his 
disciples the commission to "Go into all the world, and 
preach the Gospel to every creature." And eventually, there 
shall be gathered out of all nations a vast multitude of the 
professors of the religion of Jesus ; but when he comes 
there will be a great separation, as in the case of the wheat 
and the tares. The difference between the two parables is, 
that in the first, Christ shews that the good and bad will 



24 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

coexist unto the end ; while here, he shews that people from 
all parts of the world will be gathered into the outward or 
visible Church, and at the end the separation will take 
place. It is important also to notice that it was only some 
of every kind that were gathered. A vast number of fish 
were not caught; and so, while the Gospel will be preached 
among all nations, and some from each will be brought into 
outward relationship with the Kingdom, many of whom 
will also be brought into vital relationship with the King; 
the vast majority will reject the Gospel altogether; and even 
of those gathered in, only some will be saved. Of the ten 
virgins that went forth to meet the Bridegroom, only five 
entered in to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And our 
Lord says: — 

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter 
into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my 
Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, 
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy 
name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many won- 
derful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew 
you : depart from me ye that work iniquity." Matthew 7 .21-23. 

We now turn to that phase of the Kingdom, which is 
more immediately connected with our present subject, viz: 
The Millennial Kingdom of Christ. I had no conception of 
the vast array of passages bearing on this subject, till I com- 
menced thoroughly to search the Scriptures: and I cannot 
attempt to quote more than a few of them. First: — 

"All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the 
Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before 
thee. For the kingdom is the Lord's : and he is the governor 
among the nations." Psalm 22:27-28. 



THE KINGDOM 25 

The first part of this quotation would probably be appealed 
to by Postmillennialists, as proving the conversion of the 
world by the preaching of the Gospel in the present dispen- 
sation; but the time when this is to take place is stated to 
be when "the Kingdom is the Lord's : and he is the governor 
among the nations :" which will be during his Millennial 
reign ; as we shall see later on. 

Now we take a very familiar passage : — 

"Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given : and the 
government shall be upon his shoulder : and his name shall 
be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The ever- 
lasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his 
government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne 
of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish 
it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for 
ever." Isaiah 9 :6-j. 

The first portion of this prophecy we all know has been 
fulfilled. The child has been born: the Son has been 
given; and he has a name which is above every name, 
even "Jesus;" and we know that every name here given 
to him is true: but, the government has not yet been 
placed upon his shoulder; that government which shall 
bring everlasting peace, and which shall be exercised, 
as here stated, from the throne and Kingdom of David. 
It does not follow, as some maintain, that, because the birth 
of Jesus is here prophesied, therefore the remainder of the 
prophecy must refer to his first coming, and to his spiritual 
Kingdom on earth. There are other prophecies concerning 
the Messiah that at first sight appear to belong to one event 
or time, but which on more careful examination are found 
to be separated by long spaces of time. Take for example, 
Is. 61 a-3: — 



26 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me: because the Lord 
hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he 
hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty 
to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are 
bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the 
day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to 
appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them 
beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of 
praise for the spirit of heaviness ; that they might be called 
trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might 
be glorified." 

In Luke 4:16-19, where our Lord quotes from this 
prophecy, he stops at the end of the first sentence in the 
second verse, — "To proclaim the acceptable year of the 
Lord." He then closed the book, and said to the people, — 
"This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears." Which 
Scripture? The Scripture he had read. But he broke off 
right in the middle of the prophecy; Why? Because the 
remainder of the prophecy was not then fulfilled; and it 
has not yet been fulfilled. God's day of vengeance, and the 
time for comforting Zion has not yet come : so that the two 
parts of this prophecy, though divided only by a comma in 
the reading, are separated already by nearly 2,000 years. 
And in the earlier prophecy of Isaiah which we have been 
considering, there is a similar division. 

And now we will take some of the wonderful prophecies 
of Daniel. In the second chapter we have an account of 
Nebuchadnezzar's dream, and Daniel's interpretation of it. 
Having spoken of the four Kingdoms, represented by the 
image ; and the divisions of the fourth or Roman Kingdom ; 
he says in verse 44 : — 

"And in the days of these kings, (the ten kings represented 
by the ten horns of the image, see 7 124) shall the God of 
heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; 



THE KINGDOM 27 

and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall 
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall 
stand for ever." 

Some have thought that because Christ came, and his 
Church was set up during the period of the Roman Empire, 
that it is his spiritual Kingdom that is here referred to ; but 
an examination of the other prophecies concerning this 
Kingdom will show that this cannot be the case; for the 
setting up of the Kingdom is to take place at the over- 
throw of all earthly Kingdoms ; when "the Kingdoms of this 
world shall become the Kingdom of our God, and of his 
Christ: and he shall reign for ever and ever." And it will 
be noted that in the passage already quoted, it is distinctly 
stated that this Kingdom "shall break in pieces and con- 
sume all these other Kingdoms." The Church of Christ has 
no commission to do anything of the kind; its work is to 
save as many souls as possible out of all the Kingdoms. 
The only Church that has aspired to the temporal power, is 
the Church of Rome : and all Protestant Churches have con- 
demned her for so doing. I advise the reader to read care- 
fully the whole of the seventh chapter of Daniel. In the 
meantime here are two quotations from it. First, verses 
13-14:— 

"I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son 
of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the 
Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And 
there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that 
all people, nations, and languages should serve him : his domin- 
ion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and 
his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." 

Again, verses 23-27: — 

"Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom 
upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall 



28 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in 
pieces. And the ten horns out of his kingdom are ten kings that 
shall arise : and another shall rise after them ; and he shall 
be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. 
And he shall speak great words against the most High, and 
shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to 
change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand 
until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the 
judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to 
consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and 
dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole 
heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most 
High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all 
dominions shall serve and obey him." 

How any one can suppose that these wonderful prophecies 
can be fulfilled in the spiritual reign of Christ over the 
hearts of men I cannot conceive. Out of the Roman Em- 
pire, reformed later on, as some think, there are to arise ten 
Kings, followed by another, who is probably the Antichrist ; 
and when he, the last of the Kings, is destroyed, then shall 
Christ's Kingdom be set up. Again, if we turn back for 
a moment to Nebuchadnezzar's vision, we find that the 
stone cut out of the mountain, smites the image on the feet; 
and the whole image falls to the ground; and the gold, 
silver, brass, iron, and clay, become like chaff, driven away 
by the wind, so that no place is found for them : which signi- 
fies surely the utter destruction of all earthly Kingdoms: 
and then, the stone, Christ's Kingdom, fills the world. How 
can the gradual rise of the Church, during the last 1,900 
years, fulfill these conditions? It seems to me impossible; 
but they will be fulfilled when He shall come, whose right 
it is, to claim the Kingdoms for his own. 

Turn now to Micah, chapter 4. The chapter opens with 
a glorious description of the state of Zion, and of the world 



THE KINGDOM 29 

in general, at the last days; and of the ingathering of the 
remnant of Israel, under the reign of the Messiah; and 
then in verse 8 we read : — 

"And thou, O Tower of the flock, the strong hold of the 
daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first (or 
former) dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter 
of Jerusalem." 

But some will say, Was not this fulfilled in the return 
from Babylon ? No. The Kingdom never came back to the 
Jews, after they were carried away captive into Babylon. 
They have never had an independent Kingdom since that 
event : but it will be so in the latter days, as here declared. 

In chapter 5, verse 2, we have the well known passage : — 

"But thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among 
the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth 
unto me that is to be ruler in Israel ; whose goings forth have 
been from of old, from everlasting." 

Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem for the express pur- 
pose of being ruler in Israel : He was born to be a King ; 
he himself says so; but they rejected him, saying, — "We 
will not have this man to reign over us." So he gave them 
up to their own heart's lust, in accordance with the words 
of the following verse : — 

"Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she 
which travaileth hath brought forth : then the remnant of his 
brethren shall return unto (or with) the children of Israel." 

There are a large number of other Old Testament proofs, 
but, as we shall have to refer to several of them when speak- 
ing of the Personal Reign of Christ, we leave them now, 
and pass on to the New Testament. The first passage we 
directed attention to is Matthew 16:28: — 



30 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

"Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which 
shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming 
in his Kingdom." 

The usual explanation of this passage is, that Christ 
came in his Kingdom on the day of Pentecost. And it is 
affirmed that it must be so, because some of those who were 
present, were to witness his coming; but the coming on 
the day of Pentecost was the coming of the Holy Spirit, 
that Christ himself had promised ; there certainly was no 
coming of the Son of man. If we wish to know what the 
coming of the Son of man means, we have only to read 
the previous verse: — 

"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, 
with his angels ; and then shall he reward every man according 
to his works." 

The coming mentioned in the next verse must surely 
refer to the same as is here spoken of. But, says the ob- 
jector, this cannot be; because Christ has not yet come, and 
all those who were present when Christ spoke, have long 
since died. True, and at first this looks like a grave diffi- 
culty : but, it is never safe to drag a passage away from its 
evident meaning, because we cannot understand it. In this 
case however I do not think we are left in the dark. Let 
us read straight on into the next chapter: — 

"And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John 
his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 
and was transfigured before them : and his face did shine as 
the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And behold, 
there appeared unto them Moses and EHas talking with him. 
Then answered Peter and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for 
us to be here : if thou wilt, let us make three tabernacles ; one 
for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet 
spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them : and behold 



THE KINGDOM 31 

a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, 
in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the 
disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. 
And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be 
not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw 
no man save Jesus only. 

"And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged 
them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man 
be risen again from the dead. And his disciples asked him, 
saying, Why then say the scribes that EHas must first come? 
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first 
come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That EHas 
is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto 
him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of 
man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he 
spake unto them of John the Baptist." Matt. 17:1-13. 

Let us note here first, the question of the disciples con- 
cerning Elias; "Why then say the scribes that Elias must 
first come?" Why did the disciples ask this question in re- 
sponse to Christ's statement that they were not to report 
the vision, until he should be risen from the dead? Unless 
they supposed that when Christ arose, he would set up his 
Kingdom on earth: hence, when he had risen, they asked 
him, "Will thou at this time restore again the Kingdom to 
Israel ?" But, if so, what about Elias, who, the scribes said, 
should first come? Now, mark the answer, "Elias truly 
shall come first, and restore all things." This confirms 
the prophecy of Malachi 4:5: — 

"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the com- 
ing of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." 

That day has not yet come, so Elijah has not come; but 
Christ says, "he truly shall come." And then adds, "But I 
say unto you, "That Elias has come already." 



32 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

What did Christ mean? There seems to me but one 
explanation, and we have the key to it in Luke I :iy, where, 
the angel speaking to Zacharias concerning John, says, 
"And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of 
Elias." It is evident, therefore, that John was a second 
Elijah, preparing the way for the Messiah's first appear- 
ing; so the real Elijah shall come to prepare the way for 
his second coming. As a further proof of this, John when 
asked if he was Elijah, answered No. He knew just what 
they meant, and answered accordingly. He was Elijah in 
one sense, but he was not the Elijah they meant. 

But what has this to do with the vision? A good deal. 
The minds of the Apostles were evidently filled with the 
thought of Christ's coming Kingdom, that he had been 
speaking of six days before, and which may have been re- 
ferred to again and again in the interval ; and, Can we not 
see in the transfiguration of Jesus, and the appearance of 
Moses and Elijah, a type of the coming Kingdom? Jesus in 
his glory; Moses representing the risen saints; and Elijah 
the living and changed ones; at Christ's appearing. And 
in this type we have fulfilled the words : — 

"There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, 
till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom." 

This is the only satisfactory explanation I can find; and 
it is confirmed by one of the eyewitnesses. The Apostle 
Peter in his second epistle, chapter one, after exhorting those 
to whom he wrote to "give all diligence to add to their faith 
virtue," etc., (verses 5-10) goes on to say in verse 11 : — 

"For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly 
into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ." 



THE KINGDOM 33 

The next four verses are a parenthesis, so read on at 
verses 16-18: — 

"For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when 
we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he 
received from God the Father honour and glory, when there 
came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my 
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice 
which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him 
in the holy mount." 

Thus we see that Peter refers to the wonderful scene of 
the transfiguration as a proof of Christ's coming in his 
Kingdom; and he would not do that unless it was intended 
to represent that coming. And into the Kingdom, brought 
in by his coming the faithful ones are to have an abundant 
entrance ministered unto them. May we be among the num- 
ber. 

In Matthew 20:20-23, we have another important passage 
bearing on this subject: — 

"Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with 
her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of 
him. And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto 
him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy 
right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. But 
Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye 
able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be bap- 
tized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say 
unto him, We are able. And he saith unto them, Ye shall 
drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that 
I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my 
left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom 
it is prepared of my Father." 

The Kingdom that this woman had in her mind was, un- 
doubtedly, the Kingdom that the Jews expected to be set 

3 



34 THB GOLDBN AGB OF THE WORLD 

up by their Messiah: and Jesus does not say there is no 
such Kingdom; but rather confirms it, by saying that the 
privilege of sitting at his right hand, and his left hand, in 
that Kingdom should be given to those for whom God had 
prepared it. The fact is, Christ never corrects that idea 
of his Kingdom; and would he not have done so, if there 
was no such Kingdom? especially when the subject was 
brought so directly before him, as in this case; and again, 
after his resurrection; when the disciples put the question 
to him : — 

"Lord will thou at this time restore again the kingdom to 
Israel ?" Acts i :6. 

Here was a splendid opportunity of correcting their mis- 
take, if it was one; but so far from that, he rather confirms 
it, as previously, by saying: — 

"It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which 
the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive 
power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you : and ye 
shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, 
and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." 
Acts i 7-8. 

What times and seasons did Christ refer to? Surely the 
times and seasons, when the Kingdom of Israel should be 
restored: if not, the words have no meaning. And these 
times are in the counsels of God ; and in the meantime they 
have important work to do, viz : to witness for Jesus Christ 
to the ends of the earth. 

The next passage I notice is Matthew 26:29: — 

"But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit 
of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in 
my Father's kingdom." 



THE KINGDOM 35 

See also parallel passages in Mark and Luke. You will 
notice that Christ speaks of the Kingdom as his Father's 
Kingdom : and this is often the case ; while o % n the other 
hand, God speaks of it as his Son's Kingdom. In Hebrews 
i :8, the Apostle, quoting from the Psalmist, says : — 

"But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for 
ever and ever : a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy 
kingdom." 

Thus the Son glorifies the Father, and the Father glori- 
fies the Son. In the visions of Daniel, already referred to, 
we see the Father handing over the Kingdom to the Son. 
The Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Ephesians ascribes 
the Kingdom to both Father and Son : — 

"For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean per- 
son, nor coveteous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance 
in the kingdom of Christ and of God." Eph. 5 :5. 

The fact is, All things are God's, all Kingdoms are his; 
but he hands this Kingdom over to his Son; and at the 
end of the thousand years reign, he will hand it back to the 
Father. 

There are two other passages I may quote as showing 
this mutual relationship in reference to the Kingdom. In 
Luke 12:21, we read: — 

"Fear not little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure 
to give you the kingdom." 

But in the 22nd chapter, verses 29-30, we read : — 

"I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath ap- 
pointed unto me. That ye may eat and drink at my table in 
my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of 
Israel." 



36 THE GOLDEN AGE OP THE WORLD 

In one passage Christ says the Father will give them the 
Kingdom : but in the other he himself gives it to them ; and 
it is the same Kingdom that the Father gives to him; and 
the sense in which Christ gives it to the disciples is, that 
they shall rule with him ; sitting "on thrones judging the 
twelve tribes of Israel:" and this fixes the time, viz: the 
time of the regeneration, when the Son of man shall come 
in his glory; and they shall sit at his table, and drink the 
new wine of the new Kingdom. 

In the account of the parable of the pounds, contained in 
Luke 19:11-27, we see that the parable was introduced to 
correct a wrong impression the disciples had in reference 
to his Kingdom; viz: that it would immediately be set up; 
hence we read: — 

"He added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to 
Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God 
should immediately appear." 

Then follows the parable, which is familiar to every one, 
and need not be quoted here. Christ knew what their idea 
of the Kingdom was, and he does not correct it, but shews 
them that the time for setting up that Kingdom was not 
yet: in fact, he had not yet received the Kingdom, but was 
going away to do so ; and that when he had received it, he 
would come again, and reward his servants by giving them 
appointments of authority in his Kingdom, according to 
their faithfulness in the interval: while his unfaithful serv- 
ants, and his enemies would be destroyed. He confirms in 
everything their idea that a Kingdom was to be set up on 
earth. 

A still further proof that the setting up of this Kingdom 
is at Christ's Second coming is found in Luke 21 :25-33: — 



THE KINGDOM 37 

"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and 
in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with per- 
plexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing 
them for fear, and for looking after those things which are 
coming on the earth : for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud 
with power and great glory. And when these things begin to 
come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads ; for your 
redemption draweth nigh. 

"And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and 
all the trees ; when they now shoot forth, ye see and know of 
your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise 
ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the 
kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This 
generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven 
and earth shall pass away : but my words shall not pass away." 

When we see the signs spoken of in verses 25-26, then 
the Kingdom will be near ; and the Son of man will come to 
set it up. But some one will say, What about verse 32? 
"Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, 
till all be fulfilled." Does not that prove that Christ was 
speaking of something that would take place while some of 
them were still alive? viz: The destruction of Jerusalem. 
No, this cannot be. Christ had already completed his 
prophecy concerning that dreadful event. See verses 20-24. 
In the passage I have quoted, he is speaking of something 
following the fulfillment of the times of the Gentiles. Again, 
the signs spoken of did not come to pass prior to the de- 
struction of Jerusalem; and the Son of man did not come 
"in a cloud with power and great glory," before, or in con- 
nection with that event. Still further, The redemption of 
God's people was certainly not brought about by, or in 
connection with the destruction of Jerusalem; nor has it 
yet come to pass ; but it will be accomplished at Christ's 
Second coming; not before. There is nothing in the proph- 



38 THE GOLDEN AGE OP THE WORLD 

ecy that fits into the former event; but everything is plain 
in reference to the latter : and it is surprising that any diffi- 
culty should be experienced in accepting the obvious mean- 
ing, because of the words, — "This generation shall not pass 
away, till all be fulfilled." The word here translated gen- 
eration, means, not only a generation in our usual acceptance 
of the term, but also nation, or race, and undoubtedly this 
is the meaning here. 

In 2 Timothy 4:1, we read that Jesus Christ: — 

"Shall judge the quick and the dead, at his appearing and 
his kingdom." 

The judgment here spoken of we shall consider later on. 
I quote the passage here to prove that at the appearing of 
Jesus Christ his Kingdom will be set up. 

And now we conclude our proofs on this portion of our 
subject, by a brief reference to one or two passages in the 
Revelation. First, Rev. 11:15: — 

"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices 
in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become 
the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall 
reign for ever and ever." 

In the 19th chapter, we have a vision of Jesus coming 
forth from heaven, as the King of kings and Lord of lords, 
followed by the armies of heaven, to execute vengeance upon 
his foes, and take possession of his Kingdom: which, in the 
next chapter, we are told, shall last for one thousand years, 
and then merge into the final and eternal Kingdom of God. 

Many other passages might have been given, but I think 
I have quoted quite sufficient to prove that the Scriptures 
definitely teach that Christ at his coming will set up his 
Kingdom; and that the Millennium, and that Kingdom 
are one. 



CHAPTER III. 
"The Day of the Lord/' 

The short sentence at the head of this chapter is one fre- 
quently used in the Scriptures, with others of similar im- 
port: such as, "The day of God," "The great day," "His 
days," "That day," "His times," etc. And the meaning of 
these terms has a very important bearing on our subject. 

One of the strongest arguments brought by Postmillen- 
nialists against a Millennium on earth, after Christ's Second 
Advent, is grounded on the words of the Apostle Peter. 
2 Peter 3:10-12: — 

"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; 
in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, 
and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also 
and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing 
then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of 
persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 
looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, 
wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the 
elements shall melt with fervent heat." 

Quoting these words, they ask with great confidence, How 
can there be such a Millennium after the earth has been 
burned up? 

The strength or weakness of this objection, turns upon 
the meaning of the word day: and if I can prove that the 
word may mean any length of time, and in fact, that it 
applies to the whole Millennial Age; the objection falls to 
the ground. 

39 



40 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

First, let me give a few passages which prove that the 
word is used in the sense of time or season; and may be 
either long or short: — 

"These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth 
when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made 
the earth and the heavens." Gen. 2:4. 

"Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, 
and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, 
and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall 
befall them; so that they shall say in that day, Are not these 
evils come upon us, because our God is not among us? And 
I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which 
they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other 
gods." Deu. 31 :i7-i8. 

"And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which 
ye shall have chosen you ; and the Lord will not hear in that 
day." 1 Samuel 8:18. 

"At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye 
in me, and I in you." John 14 .20. 

"Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day 
of temptation in the wilderness : when your fathers tempted me, 
proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was 
grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in 
their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in 
my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest. Take heed 
brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, 
in departing from the living God. But exhort one another 
daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened 
through the deceitfulness of sin." Hebrews 3:8-13. 

These are just a few illustrations of the use of the word 
day for season or time, either long or short ; and in the last 
two instances, it is used practically for the whole of the 
Christian Dispensation; which has already lasted for nearly 



THE DAY OF THE LORD 41 

1,900 years. We may also refer to the use of the word 
hour in John 5 -.25 : — 

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and 
now. is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of 
God : and they that hear shall live." 

Here the word hour is used for the whole of this present 
dispensation : it commenced with Christ's first Advent, and 
is still going on. Is it too much then to suppose that the 
"Day of the Lord" may last one thousand years ? Especially, 
when we remember that the passage we have quoted from 
Peter is preceded by the statement that, "One day is with 
the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one 
day." True, the Apostle used the words in explanation of 
the apparent delay in the coming of the day of the Lord; 
but it is very significant that they should be used in con- 
nection with this subject: and in any case, it proves that 
the word day may mean a thousand years. 

We notice also, that after a repetition of the statement 
concerning the destruction of the heavens and earth, he goes 
on to speak of the new heavens and the new earth. Now, 
if we turn to Rev. 20 and 21, we find that the day of the 
Lord is to last a thousand years ; after which there shall be 
the new heavens and the new earth. The conflagration that 
Peter speaks of, evidently takes place at the close of the 
day of the Lord; and either ushers in, or immediately suc- 
ceeds the final judgment : hence John says, "I saw a great 
white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the 
earth and the heaven fled away." 

To me this is quite sufficient to explain the whole matter ; 
but to make it still more certain, we will consider a few 
more testimonies from the Infallible Word of Truth. 

In Psalm 72 \j, the Psalmist says : — 



42 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

"In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of 
peace so long as the moon endureth," 

i. e., to the end of time. 

Here the days of the Lord mean an extended time of 
great prosperity, during which: — 

"He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river 
unto the ends of the earth." Verse 8. 

Again, we read in Jeremiah 23 15-6 : — 

"A King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judg- 
ment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be 
saved, and Israel shall dwell safely." 

Again in Zech. 14:9: — 

"And the Lord shall be King over all the earth; in that 
day shall there be one Lord, and his name one." 

The word day here, is used for the length of the King's 
reign, which is a Millennium. 

Coming on to the New Testament we take one passage 
only. 1 Timothy 6:13-15: — 

"I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all 
things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate, 
witnessed a good confession; that thou keep this command- 
ment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our 
Lord Jesus Christ; which is his times he shall shew, who is 
the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord 
of lords." 

Here we have first, the appearing of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, and then his times, which are to follow; during 
which, by his beneficent reign, "he will shew, who is the 
blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of 



THE DAY OF THE LORD 43 

lords." Those times, as already shewn, will continue for a 
thousand years. 

This "day of the Lord," will be ushered in by some of the 
most terrific judgments the world has ever known. Here 
are a few passages in proof of the same : — 

"I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, 
and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into 
darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the 
terrible day of the Lord come." Joel 2:30-31. 

"Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision : for the day 
of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the 
moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their 
shining. The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his 
voice from Jerusalem : and the heavens and the earth shall 
shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the 
strength of the children of Israel." Joel 3 :i4-i6. 

"Behold the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be 
divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations 
against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken, and 
the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the 
city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people 
shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the Lord go 
forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in 
the day of battle." Zech. 14:1-3. 

"But of the times and seasons, brethren, ye have no need 
that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the 
day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when 
they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh 
upon them, as travail upon a woman with child ; and they shall 
not escape." 1 Thess. 5:1-3. 

From these, and many other passages that might be 
quoted; it will be seen, that the coming of "the day of the 
Lord" will be to the wicked a day of darkness, and awful 
judgment; only to be surpassed by the final judgment at its 
close. 



CHAPTER IV. 

State of the World at Christ's Second Advent. 

Another proof that the Millennium will follow Christ's 
Second Advent, is found in the account given of the state 
of the world, when that event takes place. It has already 
been shown in the parables of the Tares, the Fishing Net, 
and the Ten Virgins, that even in the Church there will be 
found many who are not true disciples of the Master: and 
if so ; what of the outside world ? 

In Luke 17:26-30, Christ gives a very startling picture of 
the state of the world at his coming: — 

"And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in 
the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they 
married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that 
Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed 
them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they 
did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they 
builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it 
rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 
Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is 
revealed." 

Two of the worst epochs in the history of the world are 
taken, to illustrate the awful state of the world at that time. 

In Luke 18:8, the Master asks this very significant ques- 
tion : — 

"When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the 
earth?" 

The very asking of the question carries its own answer in 
the negative. But let us see if we cannot find a direct answer 

44 



ST A TB OF WORLD A T SECOND AD VBNT 45 

to the question in the writings of the Apostles. Paul in 
writing to Timothy, says: — 

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times 
some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, 
and doctrines of devils ; speaking lies in hypocrisy ; having their 
conscience seared with a hot iron ; forbidding to marry, and 
commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created 
to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and 
know the truth." i Tim. 4:1-3. 

Let us notice here, that it is not the Apostle, but the Holy 
Spirit who makes this statement; and the Apostle repeats 
the warning in his second epistle: — 

'This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall 
come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, 
boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthank- 
ful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false ac- 
cusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, trai- 
tors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers 
of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power 
thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which 
creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, 
led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to 
come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and 
Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth : 
men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they 
shall proceed no further; for their folly shall be manifest unto 
all men, as theirs also was. 

"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, de- 
ceiving and being deceived." 2 Timothy 3:1-9, 13. 

Again, he says : — 

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound 
doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves 
teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their 
ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." 2 Tim- 
othy 4:3-4. 



46 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

Now let us see what Peter says about these last times : — 

"But there were false prophets also among the people, even 
as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall 
bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought 
them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many 
shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the 
way of truth shall be evil spoken of, and through covetousness 
shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you ; 
whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their 
damnation slumbereth not." 2 Peter 2:1-3. 

Jude's testimony is to the same effect: — 

"Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the 
common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, 
and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith 
which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are cer- 
tain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained 
to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our 
God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and 
our Lord Jesus Christ. 

"But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken 
before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; how that they 
told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should 
walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who 
separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit." Jude 3-4; 
17-19. 

As we read the significant question of the Master; and 
these prophetic utterances of the Apostles; and compare 
them with the state of things in the Church to day ; may we 
not ask, — Are we not in the very midst of these last days? 
Men are "departing from the faith" on every hand, "giving 
heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;" even 
"denying the Lord that bought them." "They are waxing 
worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." The time 



STATE OF WORLD AT SECOND ADVENT 47 

has come "when they will not endure sound doctrine;" they 
"turn away their ears from the truth, and are turned unto 
fables." 

Is it not a fact that the Word of God, both the Old and 
New Testaments; is assailed by the so called higher critics? 
Many of whom are prominent ministers of Protestant 
Churches; wolves in sheep's clothing; eating the bread of 
the Churches, whose doctrines they pledged their faith to, 
in their ordination vows ; but which they are now subverting. 
And the worst feature of it is, that the Church authorities 
seem to be afraid to deal with these men; and so by their 
inaction endorse their heresies. The fact is, the Church 
and the world is just in that state, or fast hastening to it, 
that Christ and the Apostles said it would be at his coming. 

There is just one other passage that I will quote in sup- 
port of the fact that the world at the last will be unprepared 
for the Master's coming: — 

"Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be 
overcharged with surfeitings, and drunkenness, and cares of 
this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a 
snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the 
whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye 
may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall 
come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." Luke 
21 134-36. 

Mark the words, — "As a snare shall it come on all them 
that dwell on the face of the whole earth." This proves 
that practically the whole earth will be in a state of unpre- 
paredness for his coming. 

Postmillennialists teach, that the time of universal peace 
and righteousness, will be brought about by the preaching 
of the Gospel; and that this great falling away will take 
place afterwards ; and that this falling away is the same as 



48 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

the revolt spoken of in the 20th chapter of Revelation, which 
takes place when Satan is loosed from his thousand years 
of bondage. But how anyone can see the slightest re- 
semblance between the falling away spoken of by the Apos- 
tles, and the revolt spoken of by John, I do not know, for 
they are utterly dissimilar. The answer, however, to this 
teaching will be found in another chapter. 



CHAPTER V. 

Universal Righteousness Not Brought in Prior to 
Christ's Second Advent. 

Because Premillennialists teach the above, they have been 
charged with limiting the power of the Gospel, and the 
work of the Holy Spirit. To which they might reply by 
saying, that the Postmillennialists by teaching that the world 
is to be brought to the feet of Christ by the preaching of 
the Gospel, are teaching that which is contrary to the Word 
of God. But it matters little what men say, — "To the Word 
and the Testimony." The question is, What does the New 
Testament teach, concerning the preaching of the Gospel, 
and its effects upon the human race? Is there a single pas- 
sage that teaches the conversion of the world by the preach- 
ing of the Gospel? I confess, I do not know of one. Dr. 
David Brown quotes the parables of the Mustard Seed and 
the Leaven, in proof of it, but I have already shewn that 
that cannot possibly be their meaning, as it would directly 
contradict the teaching of the other parables ; and I have 
given what I believe to be their true meaning. The only 
other passage I think that the Doctor lays any stress upon is 
Matt. 28:18-20:— 

"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is 
given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and 
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, 
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to ob- 
serve all things whatsoever I have commanded you : and, lo, I 
am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." 
4 49 



50 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

In the Revised Version it reads "make disciples of all 
nations;" but, teach all nations, is an alternative reading in 
some of the other revisions ; and when taken in connection 
with some other passages, there is little doubt that that is 
what Christ meant. But let us see what Dr. Brown, the 
champion of Postmillennialism, has to say on this passage. 
"Thus then the disciples were commissioned to evangelize 
the world before Christ's second coming; not merely to 
preach the gospel 'for a witness,' to a world that would not 
receive it till he came again ; but to accomplish, instru- 
mentally, the actual discipleship of all nations, to baptize 
them when gathered in, and to train them up as professed 
Christians in the knowledge and obedience of the truth, for 
glory — all before his second coming. In the doing of this, 
He promises to be with them — not merely to stand by them 
while preaching a rejected Gospel, and to note their fidelity, 
but clearly to prosper the work of their hands unto the 
actual evangelization of the world at large, before his com- 
ing." 

Now the question is, Does the text warrant the conclusion 
at which the Doctor arrives? If this passage stood alone, 
and there was no question as to the correctness of the Re- 
vised Version, it might possibly be so interpreted; though 
even then, the question would naturally arise : Does it mean 
that all the people of all nations, will receive the Gospel, or, 
that some out of all the nations will receive it? But there 
are other passages; and as I have already stated, the text 
here means to teach, as in the old version, as well as to make 
disciples : and the question is as to which rendering is most 
in accord with the teaching of other Scriptures, I wonder 
if Dr. Brown forgot that there was a parallel passage to this 
in Mark 16:15-16: — 



UNIVERSAL RIGHTEOUSNESS 51 

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach 
the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized 
shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." 

Here the meaning is perfectly clear. The Gospel was to 
be preached to all the world; or in other words, they were 
to teach all nations by the preaching of the Gospel ; so that 
all might have an opportunity of believing in Jesus ; but it is 
clearly understood that all will not believe: those who did 
believe were to be made disciples by the rite of baptism; 
while those who did not believe were to be left outside 
the Church ; and would suffer condemnation. And we have 
the experience of 1,900 years to prove that this is just what 
has been, and is being done. And this is just in accordance 
with what Christ says in Matthew 24:14: — 

"This Gospel of the kingdom, shall be preached in all the 
world; for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end 
come." 

Read also the preceding verses, 11 -13: — 

"And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 
And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax 
cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be 
saved." 

Certainly, that does not look much like a universal ac- 
ceptance of Christ before the end. There is to be a great 
falling away, only a few enduring to the end: at the same 
time, the Gospel will be preached "for a witness" to all the 
nations, and then shall the end come. 

And is not this just exactly what is taking place in our 
day? There are many false prophets or teachers, and num- 
bers are being deceived by them ; iniquity is abounding on 
every hand, and the love of many is waxing cold : and yet, 



52 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

at the same time there was never such vigorous missionary 
enterprise. The Gospel will soon be preached among all 
nations ; so, the end of the present age cannot be far distant. 
Read also Luke 24:45-47: — 

"Then opened he their understanding, that they might under- 
stand the scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, 
and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the 
dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins 
should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning 
at Jerusalem." 

There is nothing here about universal acceptance of the 
message ; but simply that the Gospel was to be preached 
among all nations, so that the people of all the nations might 
have an opportunity of believing in Jesus : and all who did 
so believe would be saved, and form part of his Church, that 
was to be gathered out "of all nations, and kindreds, and 
people, and tongues ;" as John saw in the vision described 
in the 7th chapter of Revelation. 

All these passages, with their evident meaning, are a 
sufficient answer to Dr. Brown's exposition of Matthew 
28:18-20, and shew very clearly the sense in which that 
passage is to be understood. 

Another passage that might at first sight be thought to 
teach that all the world would be won for Christ in this 
present dispensation is John 12:32: — 

"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men 
unto me." 

But that these words are to be taken in a limited sense 
is evident, first, from another passage, where he says : — 

"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath 
sent me draw him." John 6 144. 



UNIVERSAL RIGHTEOUSNESS 53 

And we know also, that though Christ was lifted up, and 
many signs and wonders were wrought by the Apostles in 
his name; yet even in those days the number of believers 
was small compared with the great mass of the people who 
refused to believe : and so it has been ever since, and doubt- 
less will be till the end of the age. Doubtless what Christ 
meant was, that by his death salvation would be provided 
for all men, and the cross would become a great attractive 
power in the world, as it has been, and will continue to be, 
drawing men of all classes unto Christ. 

And now let us ask, What is the general tenor of the 
teaching of the New Testament on this matter? And I do 
not hesitate a moment in saying that it is to the effect, that 
the vast majority of the human race will reject the Gospel. 
In proof of this we might repeat the whole of the passages 
we have given in the preceding chapter; for in shewing 
what the state of the world will be at Christ's coming, they 
practically prove the point at present under consideration; 
especially, when associated with the parables of the Sower, 
the Tares, and the Fishing Net; all of which indicate the 
mixed state even of the Church, till Christ comes. But we 
will take a few other statements from the lips of the Master, 
which to my mind definitely settle the matter. First, Matt. 
7:13-14:— 

"Enter ye in at the strait gate : for wide is the gate, and broad 
is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be 
which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow 
is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." 

A more definite statement than this it would be most dif- 
ficult to find; it is impossible to explain away its meaning; 
so that if there was not another passage, this alone would 



54 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

be sufficient to confirm the statement at the head of this 
chapter. But here is another definite statement: — 

"Many are called, but few chosen." Matt. 20:16. 

And this is repeated again in Matt. 22:14. The offer of 
salvation, and the promise of the Spirit, with all the accom- 
panying blessings, are made to the many ; for as Peter says, 
Acts 2 :39 : — 

"The promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all 
that are afar off; even as many as the Lord our God shall 
call." 

But, while the many are called, only the few are chosen, 
because they will not respond to the call. Those who do 
so, shall be with the Lord; for we read in Rev. 17:14: — 

"And they that are with him are called, and chosen, and 
faithful." 

I think we need go no further: I have shown that it is 
nowhere taught that the world will be saved, and a long 
reign of peace and righteousness ensue, during this present 
dispensation; while it is taught, over and over again, 
especially by the declarations of the Master himself, that 
it will not be so: and therefore I am convinced that we 
must wait for that glorious time till Christ comes, and takes 
the kingdoms for his own. In the meantime, it is the duty 
and privilege of every Christian to labour earnestly to save 
all he can ere the Day of the Lord arrives : despite the fact 
that Postmillennialists say, that, — "Premillennialism un- 
nerves the worker's arm, and kills Evangelism." And this 
in face of the fact that among Premillennialists there are to 
be found some of the saintliest of men ; and the most sue- 



UNIVERSAL RIGHTEOUSNESS 55 

cessful Evangelists the world has known. As a specimen 
of Postmillennial writing on this subject, take the following 
brief quotation : — 

"Which will more powerfully influence the worker in the 
cause of Christ: the doctrine which teaches that the dispen- 
sation of the Spirit is a mere interlude, intended only for 
the gathering in of the elect — that the world must get worse 
and worse, since it is not intended that the Kingdom of 
Christ should grow and be extended by the preaching of 
the Word, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit; or the 
Postmillennial view that Jesus Christ gave himself a ransom 
for all; that God's will is that all should be saved, that the 
Gospel is 'good news' for every creature; and must be 
preached to all, and that the promise is that God will con- 
vert the world by the preaching of the Word and the com- 
ing of the Holy Ghost ?" 

The least that one can say of this is, that it is a misrepre- 
sentation. No Premillennialist whose writings I have read, 
ever denied that the "Kingdom of Christ would grow and 
be extended by the preaching of the Word, and the out- 
pouring of the Holy Ghost;'' for if not, there would have 
been no Church. The Word has been preached, the Holy 
Ghost has been given, and vast numbers have been won for 
Christ ; and this will continue ; but that is a very different 
thing from believing that the whole world will be gathered 
into the fold by these means. Again, Do not Premillennial- 
ists teach that "Jesus Christ gave himself a ransom for all, 
that God's will is that all should be saved, that the Gospel 
is good news for every creature, and must be preached to 
all ?" What does he mean by claiming for Postmillennialists 
only a belief in these glorious truths ? We believe and teach 
them as earnestly as any Postmillennialist ever did. Of 
course, there may be some Calvinistic Premillennialists who 



56 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

limit these great truths, but the same are to be found among 
the Postmillennialists ; so on that score there is no differ- 
ence. And take the last clause, "The promise is, that God 
will convert the world by the preaching of the Word, and 
the coming of the Holy Ghost." 

There is no such promise, as I have already shown. I 
do not mention the name of the writer, because I hold him in 
high esteem, both for his personal character, and his work's 
sake: but it only shews how sometimes the best of men in 
their anxiety to defend their own case, may misrepresent 
those from whom they differ. 

That the world will be brought into subjection to Christ 
we have already shewn in our first chapter, and the matter 
will be more fully dealt with later on ; but it will not come 
to pass in the present dispensation. 



CHAPTER VI. 
The Return of Israel to Palestine. 

We shall now proceed to consider the great events of the 
last days in their chronological order, and the first is, the 
return of God's ancient people to their own land, after their 
long dispersion. 

I fear there are many Christians who take no interest what- 
ever in the Jewish people; and in the part they, with their 
brethren of the ten tribes, are to take in God's programme 
for the future of the world : and this is the more strange 
when we consider the very important part they have played 
in the history of the past; and I think very few have any 
conception of the large place the future history of this people 
has in the Oracles of God. 

Many of the prophecies concerning the future ingathering 
of Israel were uttered before, or, during the Babylonish 
captivity; hence, in many cases it is difficult to understand 
as to which return they refer; but others are so plain that 
"he who runs may read;" hence, we shall omit all those 
prophecies which probably had their fulfillment in the return 
from Babylon under Ezra: and, of those that directly refer 
to the future ingathering, we shall have to select some of 
the most important, as their number is legion. We com- 
mence with the wonderful prophecy of Moses concerning 
the scattering and the ingathering of the whole house of 
Israel : — 

"And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the 
one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt 
serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have 

57 



58 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

known, even wood and stone. And among these nations shalt 
thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: 
but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart, and 
failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind : and thy life shall hang in 
doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt 
have none assurance of thy life : in the morning thou shalt say, 
Would God it were even ! and at even thou shalt say, Would 
God it were morning ! for the fear of thine heart wherewith 
thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt 
see. And the Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, 
by the way whereof I spake unto thee. Thou shalt see it no 
more again : and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for 
bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you." Den. 
28 :64-68. 

This prophecy has little if anything to do with the Baby- 
lonish captivity; for they were to be carried away into all 
nations ; they were to be taken back into Egypt, and sold for 
slaves ; and it was not till after the destruction of Jerusalem 
by Titus ; hundreds of years after the captivity of Babylon ; 
that this took place ; and then it was carried out to the very 
letter. And as this refers to the second captivity, so the 
following prophecy must refer to the second return, which 
has yet to be accomplished. 

"The Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compas- 
sion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the 
nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee. If any 
of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from 
thence will the Lord thy God gather thee; and from thence 
will he fetch thee. And the Lord thy God will bring thee into 
the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess 
it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy 
fathers." Deu. 30 -.3-$. 

In Isaiah 11:11-12, 16, we have a prophecy that most 
certainly has yet to be fulfilled : — 



RETURN OF ISRAEL TO PALESTINE 59 

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall 
set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of 
his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, 
and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from 
Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. 
And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall as- 
semble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dis- 
persed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. And 
there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which 
shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day 
that he came up out of the land of Egypt." 

Note the words, — "the second time. 3 ' The first was the 
return from Babylon. Note also, that it is, "the outcasts of 
Israel, and the dispersed of ludah." The whole nation is 
to be gathered at this time ; and it is to be "as it was when 
they came up out of the land of Egypt :" when as you know, 
not one was left behind. True, they may not all come at 
once; but eventually, they shall all come to Zion "with songs 
and everlasting joy upon their heads," and the song they 
will sing in that day is found in the 12th chapter of Isaiah. 

In Isaiah 49, we have another beautiful prophecy of the 
return. The whole chapter is full of this great subject, but 
we will content ourselves with quoting verses 12-26: — 

"Behold these shall come from far : and, lo, these from the 
north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim. 
Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into 
singing, O mountains ; for the Lord hath comforted his people, 
and will have mercy upon his afflicted. But Zion said, The 
Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can 
a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have 
compassion on the son of her womb ; yea, they may forget, yet 
will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the 
palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. Thy 
children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made 
thee waste shall go forth of thee. Lift up thine eyes round 



60 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

about, and behold : all these gather themselves together, and 
come to thee. As I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely 
clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them 
on thee, as a bride doeth. For thy waste and thy desolate places, 
and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow 
by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up 
shall be far away. The children which thou shalt have, after 
thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place 
is too strait for me : give place to me that I may dwell. Then 
shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, see- 
ing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and 
removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, 
I was left alone; these, where had they been? Thus saith the 
Lord God, Behold, I will lift up my hand to the Gentiles, and 
set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy 
sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon 
their shoulders. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and 
their queens thy nursing mothers : they shall bow down to thee 
with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy 
feet ; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord : for they shall 
not be ashamed that wait for me. Shall the prey be taken from 
the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? But thus saith the 
Lord, Even the captive of the mighty shall be taken away, and 
the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend 
with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. 
And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; 
and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet 
wine; and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Saviour 
and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob." 

What wonderful words are these ! First we have a state- 
ment of God's faithfulness, couched in the most beautiful 
language; then, a vision of the wonderful increase of the 
people; and the amazement of Jerusalem at that increase; 
then, the means whereby this is to be accomplished ; viz : 
through the Gentile nations, or some of them, uniting to 
bring them back to their own land, from all parts of the 
world: and God himself will put it into their hearts to do 



RETURN OF ISRAEL TO PALESTINE 61 

so: and he threatens to destroy their enemies, so that all 
flesh may know that he is "their Saviour and Redeemer, the 
mighty One of Jacob." The oftener you read this prophecy, 
the more clear and wonderful it appears. 
Now let us turn to Isaiah 61 :4~6 : — 

"And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the 
former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the 
desolations of many generations. And strangers shall stand and 
feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plow- 
men and your vinedressers. But ye shall be named the Priests 
of the Lord : men shall call you the ministers of our God : ye 
shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall 
ye boast yourselves." 

These words are so plain that comment is unnecessary. 
To divert them! from their plain literal meaning is out of 
the question. 

Leaving many other passages in Isaiah, we will next take 
a few from Jeremiah : — 

"Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am mar- 
ried unto you : and I will take you one of a city, and two of a 
family, and I will bring you to Zion; and I will give you 
pastors according to my heart, which shall feed you with 
knowledge and understanding. And it shall come to pass, when 
ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days saith 
the Lord, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant 
of the Lord: neither shall it come to mind; neither shall they 
remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be 
done any more. At that time they shall call Jerusalem the 
throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto 
it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they 
walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart. In 
those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of 
Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the 
north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your 
fathers." Jeremiah 3:14-18. 



62 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

There are three things in this prophecy that prove it has 
not yet been fulfilled, viz: All nations are to be gathered 
unto Jersualem, to the name of the Lord, and Jerusalem is 
to be the throne of the Lord, also, the house of Judah, and 
the house of Israel shall both return unto the inheritance of 
their fathers. 

Again, take Jeremiah 23 13-8 : — 

"I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries 
whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their 
folds ; and they shall be fruitful and increase. And I will 
set up shepherds over them which shall feed them : and they 
shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be 
lacking, saith the Lord. Behold the days come saith the Lord, 
that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King 
shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice 
in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall 
dwell safely: and this is the name whereby he shall be called, 
THE Lord our righteousness. Therefore, behold, the days come, 
saith the Lord, that they shall no more say, The Lord liveth, 
which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of 
Egypt; but, the Lord liveth, which brought up and which led 
the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and 
from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall 
dwell in their own land." 

This prophecy takes in the personal reign of Christ; as 
well as the return of Israel. Of the former we shall speak 
later on, but we have here a prophecy concerning Israel 
that no one can say has ever yet been fulfilled ; but it shall 
be in due time. They shall be "gathered out of all coun- 
tries;" "Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely 
in their own land; and they shall fear no more, nor be dis- 
mayed." 

Again, in chapter 30:3; 10-11. 



RETURN OF ISRAEL TO PALESTINE 63 

"For, lo, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will bring 
again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the 
Lord: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave 
to their fathers, and they shall possess it. Therefore fear thou 
not. O my servant Jacob, saith the Lord; neither be dismayed, 

Israel ; for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed 
from the land of their captivity ; and Jacob shall return, and be 
in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid. For I 
am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee : though I make 
a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will 

1 not make a full end of thee : but I will correct thee in measure, 
and will not leave thee altogether unpunished." 

Here the words are so plain that no one can misunder- 
stand them. The whole house of Israel is to return, and 
possess the land of their fathers. This they have never yet 
done, so the prophecy has yet to be fulfilled. 

In chapter 33, we have still further proof, and stated in 
the strongest possible terms. The whole chapter is a proph- 
ecy of this wonderful event, but we will quote only from the 
fourteenth verse to the end : — 

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform 
that good thing which I have promised unto the house of 
Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days, and at that 
time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto 
David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the 
land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall 
dwell safely : and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, 
The Lord our righteousness. For thus saith the Lord; David 
shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of 
Israel : neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before 
me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and 
to do sacrifice continually. And the word of the Lord came 
unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord; If ye can break 
my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and 
that there should not be day and night in their season; then 
may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that 



64 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with 
the Levites the priests, my ministers. As the host of heaven 
cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured : so 
will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites 
that minister unto me. Moreover, the word of the Lord came 
to Jeremiah, saying, Considerest thou not what this people have 
spoken, saying, The two families which the Lord hath chosen, 
he hath even cast them off? thus they have despised my people, 
that they should be no more a nation before them. Thus saith 
the Lord; If my covenant be not with day and night, and if I 
have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth ; then 
will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my servant, so 
that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed 
of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob : for I will cause their captivity 
to return, and have mercy on them." 

Here we have a repeated prophecy of the vast increase of 
the people of Israel. The promise was first made to Abra- 
ham ; and twice afterwards was it repeated to him. It was 
fulfilled to a certain extent in after years, especially under 
David and Solomon ; but here it is repeated again after they 
had gone into captivity; and although they were permitted 
to return to their own land, and dwell there for over 400 
years, no one will pretend to say the promise was fulfilled 
during that time ; and since that they have been scattered 
among all nations ; so it has yet to be accomplished. Two of 
the same figures used to Abraham are used again here, viz : 
"the host of heaven," and "the sand of the sea." And we 
can only conclude that Israel when finally restored to their 
own land, will become a mighty nation upon earth; in fact, 
the mightiest of nations; all other nations being subject 
to her; and that shall be when the "righteous Branch shall 
grow up unto David, and shall sit upon his throne." 

And now we will take two or three passages from the 
prophet Ezekiel : — 



RETURN OF ISRAEL TO PALESTINE 65 

"But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your 
branches, and yield your fruit unto my people Israel; for they 
are at hand to come. For, behold, I am for you, and will 
turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown: and I will mul- 
tiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it : and 
the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded : 
and I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall 
increase and bring fruit : and I will settle you after your old 
estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings : 
and ye shall know that I am the Lord. Yea, I will cause men 
to walk upon you, even my people Israel ; and they shall 
possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou 
shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men." Ezekiel 36:8-12. 

Notice here that the Lord declares the land shall be pre- 
pared for the people; and this is being done; the land has 
for centuries been to a large extent a barren land, because 
of the withholding of the early and latter rains ; but during 
the last few years these rains have been restored; and the 
land has become more fruitful, so that thousands of the 
ancient people are settling there every year, and many more 
"are at hand to come." Then note further the emphasis 
given to the fact that it is "all the house of Israel, even all 
of it" that is to be multiplied, which was certainly not done 
at the return from Babylon : and still further, God promises 
to do better for them at the end than at their beginning. 
This also was not accomplished at the return from Babylon. 

Now pass on to verse 24 : — 

"For I will take you from among the heathen and gather you 
out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land." 

Then follows that beautiful promise of cleansing which 
I suppose every pulpit in Christendom has given voice to; 
and which has been applied almost universally to the pres- 
ent dispensation ; without any reference to its primary 

5 



66 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

meaning; but this is not just. Let us use the Old Testa- 
ment prophecies for our spiritual profit, by all means, but 
let us not divorce them from their original purpose, and rob 
the people to whom they were given, of a part of their 
inheritance. Let us read it carefully with the context, and 
see if it is not a promise to God's ancient people, that has 
yet to be fulfilled. Note, first of all the verse I have already 
quoted, in which God promises to bring them "out of all 
countries into their own land." And when the great res- 
toration has been accomplished, God says, — verses 25-27: — 

"Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be 
clean : from all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I 
cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit 
will I put within you : and I will take away the stony heart 
out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I 
will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my 
statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." 

And now mark what follows, without any break: — 

"And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; 
and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. I will also 
save you from all your uncleannesses : and I will call for the 
corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. And I 
will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, 
that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the 
heathen. Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your 
doings that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your 
own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. Not 
for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord God, be it known unto 
you : be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house 
of Israel. Thus saith the Lord God : In the day that I shall 
have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you 
to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded. And the 
desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight 
of all that passed by. And they shall say, This land that was 
desolate is become like the garden of Eden : and the waste and 



RETURN OF ISRAEL TO PALESTINE 67 

desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. 
Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know 
that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that that was 
desolate : I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it. Thus 
saith the Lord God : I will yet for this be enquired of by the 
house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with 
men like a flock. As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem 
in her solemn feasts ; so shall the waste cities be filled with 
flocks of men : and they shall know that I am the Lord." 
Verses 28-38. 

How can these words be spiritualized, and made to apply 
to the Church of the present day? It is impossible; they 
belong to God's ancient people, and will be fulfilled in due 
time. That verses 25-29, are included is evident also from 
the direct reference to them in verse 32. "In the day that 
/ shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also 
cause you to dwell in the cities," etc. 

This same great truth is taught also in the following 
chapter under the parable of the resurrection of dry bones. 
But possibly some will say, Was not this fulfilled in the 
return from Babylon ? No ; except, to a very limited ex- 
tent ; for in explaining the vision, God says it refers to "the 
whole house of Israel." And so far from the whole house 
of Israel returning at that time, only a small portion even 
of the house of Judah returned. And when we take the 
prophecy in the following part of the chapter, there can be 
no question whatever as to it having reference to something 
still in the future. The prophecy is such a glorious one 
that we will quote it in full : — 

"The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, More- 
over, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, 
For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions : then 
take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of 
Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions : and 



68 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

join them one to another into one stick, and they shall become 
one in thine hand. And when the children of thy people shall 
speak unto thee, saying, Will thou not shew us what thou mean- 
est by these ? Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, 
I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, 
and the tribes of Israel his fellows; and will put them with 
him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, 
and they shall be one in mine hand. And the sticks whereon 
thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. And say 
unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold I will take the 
children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be 
gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them 
into their own land: and I will make them one nation in the 
land upon the mountains of Israel ; and one king shall be king 
to them all : and they shall be no more two nations, neither 
shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all : 
Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, 
nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their trans- 
gressions : but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, 
wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them : so shall they 
be my people, and I will be their God. And David my servant 
shall be king over them : and they all shall have one shepherd : 
they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes 
and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have 
given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; 
and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and 
their children's children for ever : and my servant David shall 
be their prince for ever. Moreover, I will make a covenant of 
peace with them ; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them : 
and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my 
sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle 
also shall be with them : yea, I will be their God, and they shall 
be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do 
sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them 
for evermore." Ez. 37:15-28. 

Here is another very striking prophecy on the same 
lines : — 



RETURN OF ISRAEL TO PALESTINE 69 

"Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Now will I bring again 
the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of 
Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name; after that they 
have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they 
have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their 
land, and none made them afraid. When I have brought them 
again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' 
lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; 
then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, which 
caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen : but I 
have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of 
them any more there. Neither will I hide my face any more 
from them : for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of 
Israel, saith the Lord God." Ez. 39 125-29. 

In this place again we have the statement that God will 
have mercy upon the whole house of Israel ; and that none 
of them shall be left in the land of their enemies ; and that 
he will not hide his face from them any more. These things 
have all yet to be fulfilled. 

We might well leave the Book of Ezekiel now, and pass 
on to other proofs ; but it would be hardly fair to shirk the 
very serious difficulties of the remaining nine chapters of 
this wonderful book. It has been said that scarcely any 
portion of the Word of God has given rise to so much con- 
troversy as these chapters ; but, however this may be, it is 
certain that there has ever been, and still is, great difference 
of opinion as to their interpretation; and I confess that so 
far I have not seen a satisfactory solution of the difficulty. 
Under these circumstances, it may seem presumptuous on 
my part to think that I can throw any fresh light upon the 
subject; nevertheless I will try, and leave the reader to 
judge as to whether I have succeeded or not. 

The first seven of these chapters, viz: 40-46, are taken 
up with a vision of a glorious temple, of which the fullest 



70 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

particulars are given ; there are also particular directions to 
priests and Levites, as to their various duties, and the sacri- 
fices that were to be offered. The 47th chapter, verses 1-13, 
gives the vision of holy waters ; while the remainder of the 
chapter gives the boundaries of the land to be divided 
among the twelve tribes. The last chapter gives the di- 
vision of the land among the tribes ; and the portions re- 
served for the sanctuary, and for the priests and Levites. 
It is scarcely necessary for me to say that no such temple 
as is here described has ever been built: the boundaries of 
the land as here given, have never yet been possessed: and 
the land has never yet been divided as here directed. There- 
fore, the prophecy so far as these things are concerned has 
yet to be fulfilled. But what about the animal sacrifices, 
which we, as Christians believe were but types of the great 
sacrifice that Christ offered on Calvary? Are these to be 
restored and carried on during the Millennium ; and that 
by divine appointment? This is the great question around 
which the controversy centres. Some contend that it will 
be so ; that the Church having been saved by faith in Christ's 
sacrifice, the old Jewish ritual will be re-established during 
the Millennium. Others say, that the sacrifices will be 
continued ; but only as memorials of the past. But others 
say, No, the sacrifices cannot be continued ; for, Jesus hav- 
ing once died, "there is no more sacrifice for sin." With 
this last I entirely agree. But how is this to be reconciled 
with the plain statements as to the re-erection of the temple, 
and the restoration of the sacrifices? Postmillennialists tell 
us that the whole prophecy is figurative; that there will be 
no such temple, and no sacrifices ; but that it simply means 
the conversion of the Jews to Christianity; the establish- 
ment of God's Church every where ; and the spiritual sac- 
rifices that the united Church of Jew and Gentile will offer 



RETURN OF ISRAEL TO PALESTINE 71 

unto God. Some, however, admit that the prophecy related 
to an earthly temple ; but they forfeited their right to it, and 
the promise lapsed ; and, consequently, the temple will never 
be built. But to my mind these explanations are very un- 
satisfactory. The particulars given of the temple are as 
clear and concise as those given of Solomon's temple. The 
boundaries of the land, and its division among the tribes is 
clearly marked out: and you cannot with any reason spir- 
itualize these things. As to the Jews having forfeited their 
right to the fulfillment of the prophecy; I believe this may 
be true to a certain extent ; but that the prophecy will never 
be fulfilled, I cannot allow ; for God's word can never fail : 
so we must seek for some better explanation than any of 
these: and after careful study of the subject, and earnest 
prayer for divine guidance, I humbly submit the following: 
I have already given instances of prophecy referring to 
the near and distant future; and here I think, we have one 
of the same, on a somewhat comprehensive scale. To God, 
the distant and the near are almost as one; for as the Psalm- 
ist says, — "A thousand years in thy sight, are but as yes- 
terday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." So 
we need not be surprised if in this instance as in others, 
we find two events referred to in the one prophecy; or 
rather perhaps we should say; a prophecy that has had a 
partial fulfillment in the past, but which will have its full 
accomplishment in the future. The captivity of the Jews 
was to last for 70 years ; so that very few of those who were 
carried away into captivity would have opportunity to re- 
turn : and the next generation, born in Babylon, would be 
in great danger of forgetting God, and disregarding his 
laws ; in fact, their fathers had done so when in their own 
land; and how much more might their children do so in 
Babylon : But God was still mindful of them, and continued 



72 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

to send messages of cheer to them by his prophets; and 
what more inspiring message could he have sent them than 
this glorious vision of their future greatness, as illustrated 
by this magnificent temple, in which they were to worship; 
and a complete rehearsal of their sacrificial ritual, as also 
the great enlargement of the future borders of the land. 
And I have not the slightest doubt that the whole of the 
prophecy might have been fulfilled on their return to Pales- 
tine ; but they failed to rise to the occasion ; and so for- 
feited, for the time being, the blessings that had been prom- 
ised to them. For instance, when the seventy years of the 
captivity were expired, and God put it into the heart of 
Cyrus to permit the captives to return home, only a few 
availed themselves of the offer: they had settled down, and 
made their homes in various parts of the kingdom of Baby- 
lon ; and deserted Palestine had little attraction for the 
great majority of them; for out of the vast number that 
were scattered throughout the empire, only forty-two thou- 
sand were found, who were willing to return : and many 
years after, when Artaxerxes gave permission for all who 
wished to return with Ezra ; only a very few went up, 
probably less than five thousand. Thus the great majority 
of the people refused to return to the good land that God 
had given to their fathers. This in itself was sufficient 
to prevent the fulfillment at that time, of this wonderful 
prophecy ; for how could these few people out of their com- 
parative poverty build such a temple as is here described? 
And it would be impossible for so few to occupy the land 
according to the boundaries here given : hence the prophecy 
had to remain in abeyance so far as these two things were 
concerned. True they did build a temple, after consider- 
able delay ; for it was nearly twenty years after their return 
before it was completed ; and it was a very inferior building 



RETURN OF ISRAEL TO PALESTINE 73 

compared with either Solomon's temple, or the one pictured 
in the vision ; still, it was a place of worship ; and in due 
time the full order of sacrifices were restored, thus fulfilling 
that part of the prophecy. But they were a neglectful and 
rebellious people, for, ninety years after their return, 
Nehemiah had to go up to build the walls of the city. 

During the four centuries that followed their return to 
their own land, they never regained their original position 
as a kingdom ; and when Christ their king came, they re- 
jected and crucified him: and once more their temple was 
destroyed, and they were driven out to be wanderers on 
the face of the earth, as they are to this day. But the proph- 
ecy shall yet be fulfilled. I have already clearly proved that 
the time is coming when "the whole house of Israel" will 
return once more to their own land ; and then they will 
rebuild their temple, doubtless, according to the plan here 
given ; for there will be no lack of funds ; a large portion 
of the world's wealth to day is in the hands of the Jews, 
and already they are storing funds for the reoccupation of 
the land, and when the time comes, the money will be there ; 
and probably the grandest temple the world has ever seen, 
will adorn the summit of Moriah, in place of the Mosque, 
of Omar, which now stands there. And as this will be 
accomplished while they are still in unbelief; there is no 
doubt the sacrificial services will be restored, for at least a 
few years, still further fulfilling the prophecy; and eventu- 
ally the land will be extended and divided as here directed. 
This final return may take place at any time. The power 
of Turkey is already broken in Europe; and it may be the 
same very soon in the land of Syria ; and Palestine be given 
back to its original owners. Already there are far more 
Jews in Palestine than returned from Babylon ; and there 
are hundreds of thousands readv to follow when the Turk 



74 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

is driven out. I know there are some who say, they will 
not be restored until they repent; and this is probably true 
of very many of them but that Jerusalem will be in the 
hands of the Jews, and that large numbers will be settled 
in Palestine, before the national repentance takes place is 
clear from the prophet Zechariah ; for after speaking of 
their restoration, and settlement in the land, he says, or 
rather God says through him : — 

"I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhab- 
itants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications : and 
they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall 
mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be 
in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first- 
born." Zech. 12:10. 

And that this is at Christ's Second coming, is evident 
from another passage where similar terms are used, viz: 
Rev. 1 :J. 

"Behold, he cometh with clouds ; and every eye shall see 
him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the 
earth shall wail because of him." 

This also accords with Christ's own words : — 

"Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is 
he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Matthew 23 :3<p. 

When this takes place, then I believe the Jewish sacri- 
fices will cease, and Christian worship will take its place. 
True, we read in Zechariah that one Jewish feast shall be 
celebrated in that day; viz: The Feast of Tabernacles; and 
it is very significant that no other feast is mentioned: and 
this feast, as you know, was a very joyous one; it was the 
feast of harvest; and one can quite conceive of a great 



RETURN OF ISRAEL TO PALESTINE 75 

joyous feast being held year by year without any of the 
old accessories of animal sacrifices. 

In brief then, these are my views on this difficult matter. 
The temple here described, will be built in Jerusalem by 
the Jews, on their coming into possession of their land once 
more, while in a state of unbelief : that the Jewish ritual of 
sacrifices, etc., for which there is here such explicit direc- 
tions given, was carried out in connection with the temple, 
built after the return of the Jews from Babylon, and was 
continued more or less faithfully till their overthrow by the 
Romans ; and in all probability it will be renewed in the 
new temple when it is erected; and be continued till the 
Second Advent: but when they see Jesus coming in his 
glory; and note the nail marks in his hands and feet, and 
the mark of the spear thrust in his side; they will repent; 
and in the fountain opened in the house of David, for sin 
and uncleanness, they will wash their sins away, and cry, — 
"Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." And 
from that time forward, their festivals will be festivals of 
joy for all people, unaccompanied by any sacrifice except 
the sacrifice of praise. 

There are a number of prophecies concerning the Return ; 
in the Book of Hosea, but I will only take one of them. 
Hosea 3 4-5 :— 

"The children of Israel shall abide many days without a 
king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without 
an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim : after- 
ward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord 
their God, and David their King; and shall fear the Lord and 
his goodness in the latter days." 

In the first part of the prophecy there is evidently a 
reference to the present time of their dispersion : but this 



76 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

shall end, and in the latter days they shall "seek unto the 
Lord, and David their king." 

There is an important passage also in the Book of Amos, 
9:13-15:— 

"Behold, the days come saith the Lord, that the plowman 
shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that 
soweth seed ; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all 
the hills shall melt. And I will bring again the captivity of my 
people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and 
inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the 
wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit 
of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they 
shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have 
given them, saith the Lord thy God." 

This passage is so plain that it needs no comment on my 
part. 

The prophet Micah also foretells the same thing: — 

"In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth, 
and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have 
afflicted; and I will make her that halted a remnant, and her 
that was cast far off a strong nation : and the Lord shall reign 
over them in Mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever." 
Micah 4:6-7. 

The last Old Testament prophet I shall quote from is 
Zechariah : — 

"In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth 
of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and 
they shall devour all the people round about, on the right 
hand and on the left : and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again 
in her own place, even in Jerusalem. The Lord also shall save 
the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David 
and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify 
themselves against Judah. In that day shall the Lord defend 
the inhabitants of Jerusalem ; and he that is feeble among them 



RETURN OF ISRAEL TO PALESTINE 77 

at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be 
as God, as the angel of the Lord before them. And it shall 
come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the 
nations that come against Jerusalem." Zechariah 12:6-9. 

And then follows the passage I have already quoted con- 
cerning their conversion at Christ's appearing; and in con- 
nection with this I want you to notice the touching words 
in Zech. 13:6: — 

"And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in 
thine hands ? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was 
wounded in the house of my friends." 

They shall not only see the pierced side, but the print of 
the nails in his hands ; sufficient proof surely as to who he 
is. And then in order to throw light on this strange proph- 
ecy, God inspires the prophet to utter another to show how 
the former was to come to pass ; hence the following : — 

"Awake, O sword against my shepherd, and against the man 
that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts : smite the shepherd, 
and the sheep shall be scattered : and I will turn my hand upon 
the little ones." Zech. 137. 

This we know was fulfilled at Christ's first coming, as 
he himself has said; and in that smiting he received the 
wounds, the marks of which will in the latter day convince 
the nation of their great sin in crucifying their Messiah. 

And now let us consider this subject in the light of the 
New Testament. True, we shall confine ourselves to one 
chapter, but that chapter is full of light, that all men's rea- 
sonings can never quench. I refer to that wonderful deliv- 
erance of the Apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans; 
at the eleventh chapter. I shall only quote a few verses; 
but I commend to the reader the careful study of the whole 



78 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

chapter. For my present purpose, however, the following 
will be sufficient : — 

"Now if the fall of them (the Jews) be the riches of the 
world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles ; 
how much more their fulness? For I speak to you Gentiles, 
inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine 
office : if by any means I may provoke to emulation them which 
are my flesh, and might save some of them. For if the casting 
away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the 
receiving of them be, but life from the dead? For if the 
firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root be 
holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be 
broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in 
among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness 
of the olive tree; boast not against the branches. But if thou 
boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt 
say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted 
in. Well ; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou 
standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear : For if God 
spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare 
not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God : 
on them which fell severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou 
continue in his goodness : otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. 
And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted 
in : for God is able to graff them in again. For if thou wert 
cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert 
grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree ; how much 
more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into 
their own olive tree? For I would not, brethren, that ye should 
be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own 
conceits ; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until 
the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall 
be saved : as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the 
Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob : for this 
is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins." 
Rom. ii : 12-27. . 



RETURN OF ISRAEL TO PALESTINE 79 

That these words foretell a glorious future for Israel, no 
one can possibly deny. Notice particularly the 26th verse, — 
"There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn 
away ungodliness from Jacob." Christ had already come 
and been crucified ; he had risen from the dead, and ascended 
up on high to the Father's right hand; but the Apostle, 
quoting from the prophet Isaiah, speaks of a future De- 
liverer, and his words are just in accord with the words of 
the Psalmist: — 

"O that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion ! when 
the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall 
rejoice and Israel shall be glad." Psalm 14:7. 

And now as we have seen the Apostle confirms these 
prophecies, and adds the important fact, that the time when 
this is to be accomplished is at the final return of Israel 
from their present dispersion. 

There are numerous other passages that might be quoted 
in support of this great truth; but I think sufficient have 
been given to prove to any unprejudiced mind, that God's 
ancient people, the remnant of the whole house of Israel, 
will in due time be gathered home to their own land; that 
they shall see Christ at his coming; and, recognizing in him 
the crucified Saviour, will repent bitterly of their sin and 
be saved. From that out their troubles shall cease; for 
under the reign of King Jesus, David's greater Son, they 
shall "dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwell- 
ings, and quiet resting places;" and "they shall long enjoy 
the work of their hands :" while, in their ingathering and 
conversion, all nations shall be blessed. 

May we not all join in the following prayer : — 



80 THE GOLDEN AGE OP THE WORLD 

"O that the Lord's salvation 

Were out of Zion come, 
To heal His ancient nation, 

To lead His outcasts home ! 

How long the holy city 

Shall heathen feet profane? 
Return, O Lord, in pity ; 

Rebuild her walls again. 

Let fall thy rod of terror ; 

Thy saving grace impart; 
Roll back the veil of error ; 

Release the fettered heart. 

Let Israel home returning, 

Her lost Messiah see; 
Give oil of joy for mourning, 

And bind thy Church to Thee." 

— Methodist Hymn Book. 



CHAPTER VII. 
Antichrist and Babylon. 

The next subject to which we direct attention is the 
reign of Antichrist at Babylon. 

The name Antichrist, signifies opposed to Christ, or tak- 
ing the place of Christ. The only writer in the Bible who 
uses the name, is the Apostle John ; and he uses it several 
times, and defines it as representing those who "deny that 
Jesus Christ has come in the flesh ;" and again, as those 
who "deny the Father and the Son." He also states that 
there are many Antichrists, and that they were then in ex- 
istence. The passages referred to are i John 2:18-22; 4:3; 
2 John 7. Although John speaks of Antichrist as being then 
in existence, and of there being many Antichrists ; this does 
not contradict what is taught in other portions of God's 
Word ; viz : that in the latter days some one will appear, 
who will not only deny the Father and the Son, but who 
will represent himself as the Christ, and who, being demon 
possessed, will perform great signs and wonders in the 
sight of the people. Some have thought that Antichrist 
will be a Pope of Rome; but I do not think there is suf- 
ficient evidence for this : the Roman Catholic Church would 
certainly have to alter very much in certain directions be- 
fore such could be the case ; for, however far they may have 
wandered from the simplicity of the gospel, and although 
the Pope and his priests of various orders have to some 
extent assumed the prerogatives of Jesus Christ, they do 
not deny that Christ is God, and that he came in the flesh ; 
they do not deny the Father and the Son. Some of the 

6 81 



82 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

preachers of so called Protestant Churches have gone 
further than Roman Catholics in that direction; and Anti- 
christ is just as likely to come from some degenerate Prot- 
estant Church, as the other, or more likely no Church at 
all. That there will be such a person in the latter days is 
clearly proved from Scripture. In Daniel's vision of the 
four great monarchies of the world, under the figure of 
beasts, as contained in the seventh chapter of that book, 
we have in verses 23-26, an explanation of the fourth beast 
or kingdom. We have already quoted the passage, but for 
the convenience of the reader we will do so again: — 

"The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, 
which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the 
whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. 
And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall 
arise ; and another shall arise after them, ; and he shall be 
diverse from the first; and he shall subdue three kings. And 
he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall 
wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change 
times and laws : and they shall be given into his hands until a 
time, and times, and the dividing of time. But the judgment 
shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume 
and to destroy it unto the end." 

Now if we turn to Rev. 13 :i-8, we shall find John's vision 
of a beast that is a facsimile of the last king whose character 
is given in Daniel, except that in John's vision more par- 
ticulars are .given. Here is John's vision : — 

"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise 
up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon 
his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 
And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet 
were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a 
lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and 
great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded 



ANTICHRIST AND BABYLON 83 

to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world 
wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon 
which gave power unto the beast : and they worshipped the 
beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make 
war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speak- 
ing great things and blasphemies ; and power was given unto 
him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his 
mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and 
his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was 
given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome 
them : and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, 
and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship 
him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the 
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." 

In each case there is blasphemy against God, and perse- 
cution of the saints, who are given into his hands, in each 
case, for three and a half years. In both cases also, J. 
ends with his destruction, and the incoming of the reign of 
the saints ; only in Revelation this is not recorded till later 
on; other events not mentioned by Daniel, intervening. In 
this chapter also, verses n-17, another beast is introduced, 
who works in the interest of the first beast, and who is 
afterward called the false prophet; and who in the end 
shares the punishment of the first beast. And from the 
1 8th verse we learn that this first beast is a man, and doubt- 
less this beast man is Antichrist. 

In St. Paul's second Epistle to the Thessalonians, we 
have perhaps the clearest statement concerning this last and 
greatest of earthly potentates : — 

"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye 
be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, 
nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ 
is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means ; for that day 
shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that 



84 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and 
exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is wor- 
shipped ; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing 
himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was 
yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what 
withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the 
mystery of iniquity doth already work : only he who now letteth 
will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that 
Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the 
spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his 
coming: even him whose coming is after the working of Satan 
with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all de- 
ceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because 
they received not the love of the truth, that they might be 
saved." 2 Thess. 2:1-10. 

From these passages we learn that there is yet to appear 
on the earth, a mighty king, demon possessed, called, "the 
man of sin," the "wicked," the "son of perdition ;" who 
will set himself up in opposition to Jesus Christ ; who will 
declare himself a god, and work miracles to prove it; and 
who will demand that divine worship be paid to him. Also, 
that he will have a false prophet to aid him in his ambitious 
projects; who will work marvelous signs in the presence of 
the people. This demon king for some years will practically 
rule the world ; and for the last three and a half years of 
his reign, he will persecute Jews and Christians to the 
death; and during this part of his reign especially, there 
will be a time of great tribulation, such as the world has 
never known ; but when at the height of his power he will 
be destroyed by the coming of the King of kings, and he, 
with his false prophet, shall be cast into the lake of fire. 

In the passage I have quoted from the Epistle to the 
Thessalonians, the Apostle makes some statements that have 
given rise to a great deal of earnest inquiry and discus- 
sion : the words I refer to are in verses 6-7 : — 



ANTICHRIST AND BABYLON 85 

"And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be re- 
vealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already 
work; only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out 
of the way." 

From these words it is evident that there was some one 
or some thing that hindered the revelation of Antichrist; 
but that in time he or it would be taken away, and then 
the man of sin would be revealed. To whom or what does 
the Apostle refer? Some think it refers to the Roman 
Emperors, and that "the man of sin" was the Pope, or 
Church of Rome. But this we cannot accept for the Church 
of Rome had become corrupt, and the Bishops of Rome had 
gained the ascendancy long before the Emperors had been 
taken away. Others there are, who believe that he refers 
to the Holy Spirit; and that, in the latter days, when the 
Church has become a degenerate Church ; God will take 
away the Holy Spirit, and then "the man of sin" will have 
free course for his wickedness. This may be correct, but 
I doubt it very much, for there is no hint of such a thing 
so far as I know in any other part of the Scripture. Again, 
If the Holy Spirit was taken away, How could men be 
saved? And yet we know that many will be saved during 
the dire reign of Antichrist, and numbers of them will be- 
come martyrs for Jesus. My opinion is, that he refers to 
the Church of Christ, the whole body of true believers, who 
will be caught up to be with Christ, before the great tribu- 
lation as we shall prove later on. The saints are the salt 
of the earth, and when the salt is removed the corruption 
of the world will proceed more rapidly than ever, and Anti- 
christ's time will have come. This seems to me to be a 
reasonable understanding of the passage ; and it is supported 
by the fact that the Apostle had written to them expressly 
on the subject of the taking away of the Church; and now 



86 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

he reminds them how he had instructed them in reference 
to these things when he was with them ; so that they knew 
what it was that hindered the revelation of Antichrist, and 
that when that was taken away he would attain his power. 
But now another question arises ; Where will this great 
King Antichrist reign? Where will be the capital of his 
kingdom, in which he will set up his throne? That he will 
have such a capital is certain; for in Rev. 16:10-11, we 
read : — 

"And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat (or 
throne) of the beast ; and his kingdom was full of darkness ; 
and they gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God 
of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented 
not of their deeds." 

Immediately after this we read of a city, it is called "a 
great city," "this great city that reigneth over the kings of 
the earth," "great Babylon," etc. This city is also repre- 
sented as a woman, whose name is, "Mystery, Babylon the 
great, the mother of harlots, and abominations of the earth." 
And to shew the extent of the dominion of this city, or, 
of the king who rules there; the woman is represented as 
"sitting upon many waters ;" and the waters it is explained, 
are "multitudes, and nations, and people, and tongues ;" so 
world wide will the reign of this tyrant become. Some say 
that Babylon means Rome ; but I think this idea arises from 
the supposition previously mentioned; that the Antichrist 
will be a pope. This, as I have shewn is not at all likely, 
nor do I think that Rome is intended by Babylon. I see no 
reason why the name should not be taken as it stands ; for 
there is nothing to prevent another great Babylon being 
erected. The present city of Bagdad, which is situated in 
ancient Babylonia, is becoming once more an important city. 



ANTICHRIST AND BABYLON 87 

In the ninth century it was one of the finest cities of the 
world, containing two millions of inhabitants. The latest 
description of the city that I have seen is from the pen of 
Mr. Hooper, the British and Foreign Bible Society's Agent 
for Egypt, who visited Bagdad at the end of 19 12. He 
says : — 

"The antiquated jappearance of everything in Bagdad is 
very striking and unique. Nevertheless, there are signs of an 
awakening, and a new Bagdad is destined to appear in the near 
future. The railway line, now in course of construction between 
Bagdad and Aleppo, has brought in many Europeans. A sum of 
£200,000, has been secured for the construction of a new port 
on the river, with railway station, stores, and government 
offices. Already twenty five miles of rails have been laid from 
the Bagdad terminus, and over fifty miles from the Aleppo 
end. New hotels are fast springing up, and property is chang- 
ing hands. It is evident from the miles of crowded bazaars, 
that much business is still carried on in this ancient city of 
the Caliphs."— "Bible in the World" 

I have given this extract to shew that already not far 
from the site of old Babylon there exists an ancient city, 
that is shewing signs of new life, and that might very 
speedily develop into a modern Babylon. 

There are many Old Testament prophecies concerning 
Babylon ; and if we examine them carefully, especially, some 
of those in Isaiah ; I think we shall see that there is more in 
them than was fulfilled in the overthrow of ancient Babylon. 
Take Isaiah 13 16-13 : — 

"Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come 
as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands 
be faint, and every man's heart shall melt : and they shall be 
afraid : pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them ; they shall 
be in pain as a woman that travaileth : they shall be amazed one 
at another; their faces shall be as flames. Behold, the day of 



88 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to 
lay the land desolate : and he shall destroy the sinners out of it. 
For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not 
give their light : the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, 
and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will 
punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity ; 
and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will 
lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more 
precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of 
Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall 
remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, 
and in the day of his fierce anger." 

Again : — 

"The Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose 
Israel, and set them in their own land : and the strangers shall 
be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of 
Jacob. And the people shall take them, and bring them to 
their place : and the house of Israel shall possess them in the 
land of the Lord for servants and handmaids : and they shall 
take them captives, whose captives they were ; and they shall 
rule over their oppressors. And it shall come to pass in the 
day that the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and 
from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast 
made to serve, that thou shalt take up this proverb against the 
king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased ! the 
golden city ceased ! the Lord hath broken the staff of the 
wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. He who smote the people 
in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in 
anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth. The whole earth is 
at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing. Yea, the 
fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying. Since 
thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us. Hell from 
beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stir- 
reth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth ; 
it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. 
All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become 
weak as we? art thou become like unto us? Thy pomp is 
brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols : the 



ANTICHRIST AND BABYLON 89 

worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. How 
art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning ! 
how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken 
the nations ! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend 
into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God : I 
will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides 
of the north : I will ascend above the heights of the clouds ; I 
will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down 
to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall nar- 
rowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the 
man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms ; 
that made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities 
thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? All the 
kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one 
in his own house. But thou art cast out of thy grave like an 
abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, 
thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of 
the pit; as a carcass trodden under feet. Thou shalt not be 
joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy 
land, and slain thy people : the seed of evildoers shall never be 
renowned. Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity 
of their fathers ; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, 
nor fill the face of the world with cities. For I will rise up 
against them, saith the Lord of hosts, and cut off from Babylon 
the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the Lord. 
I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of 
water: and I will sweepit with the besom of destruction, saith 
the Lord of hosts. The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, 
Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass ; and as I 
have purposed, so shall it stand : that I will break the Assyrian 
in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot : 
then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart 
from off their shoulders. This is the purpose that is purposed 
upon the whole earth : and this is the hand that is stretched out 
upon all the nations. For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and 
who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who 
shall turn it back." Isaiah 14:1-27. 

The first thing to notice here is the position these chapters 
occupy. They immediately follow prophecies concerning 



90 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

the final restoration of Israel, and the first three verses of 
the 14th chapter deal with the same subject. Now it is just 
about that same time that Antichrist begins to exercise his 
great power in the world; having his throne in Babylon: 
and shortly after persecutes both Jews and Christians; in 
fact, all who will not worship his image; just as Nebu- 
chadnezzar did in ancient Babylon : only in the case of Anti- 
christ, the persecution is stopped by his destruction at the 
coming of Christ. The language also of the prophecy, indi- 
cates something more than the destruction of old Babylon: 
true, that is referred to in the latter part of the thirteenth 
chapter ; but read again the verses that I have quoted from 
that chapter, and you will notice that the figures used are 
precisely the same as those used by Christ and his Apostles 
in reference to Christ's second coming; when Antichrist is 
to be destroyed, and Babylon overthrown. The terms also 
that are used are so world wide in their significance, that 
they must mean more than the destruction of the ancient 
city. 

Notice also that three times over, the great destruction 
here spoken of, is said to take place on the day of the Lord. 
Again the prophecy concerning Israel contained in the first 
three verses of chapter 14 was not fulfilled at the return of 
the Jews from Babylon. The house of Israel did not possess 
their enemies as servants and handmaids, and rule over 
their oppressors ; neither did they take them captives ; so 
far from this, they were themselves still subject to the rul- 
ers of Babylon. And they have never yet found the rest 
spoken of in the third verse ; but they will do so in the 
future. Still further; read carefully the words used in 
reference to the king of Babylon, verses 9-20. These words 
applied to any of the kings of old Babylon seem out of 
place, but applied to Antichrist they are most suitable. 



ANTICHRIST AND BABYLON 91 

Compare these verses, especially 12-14, with Daniel 11 :36: — 

"And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall 
exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall 
speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall 
prosper till the indignation be accomplished." 

See also 2 Thessalonians 2 14 : — 

"Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called 
God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the 
temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." 

I think no one can doubt that all three passages refer to 
one and the same person, Antichrist. So that while one 
part of the prophecy was fulfilled in the overthrow of old 
Babylon; the greater portion of it remains to be fulfilled 
in the overthrow of the modern Babylon that has yet to be 
built; and of the king who will reign there: and this over- 
throw is vividly described in the Book of Revelation. 

There are other prophecies to which we might refer, but 
I think these are sufficient to prove that there will be in the 
future a second Babylon; and there are two other passages, 
which, when taken together, seem to confirm the idea that 
Babylon will be built on, or near to the ancient site. In Jer. 
50:38 we read that among other evils that shall come upon 
Babylon is a drought : — 

"A drought is upon her waters ; and they shall be dried up." 

And in Revelation 16:12, it is stated that: — 

"The sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river 
Euphrates, and the water thereof was dried up." 

What Jeremiah prophesied of, John saw fulfilled in his 
vision; and together they prove not only what I have just 
stated, but also, that the prophecy in Jeremiah, as well as 
the one in Isaiah, takes in both events. And it is interest- 



92 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

ing to note that the drying up of the river Euphrates im- 
mediately follows the plague poured upon the seat of the 
beast. Taking all these things into consideration, as also 
the fact that the great city Babylon is referred to over and 
over again in the book of Revelation ; I can only conclude 
that Babylon will be rebuilt on or near the ancient site by 
Antichrist; or, being rebuilt previously, will be taken pos- 
session of by him; and that it will become the greatest city 
of the world: but its greatness, its wealth, its splendour, 
will be of short duration; for in one hour her judgment 
shall come ; but as usual, not without warning : for previous 
to this the angel will pour out his vial of wrath upon the 
throne or capital of the beast, and his kingdom will be 
filled with darkness, and some terrible plague will come upon 
the people; for it is said: — 

"They gnawed their tongues for pain; and blasphemed the 
God of heaven because of their pains and their sores." 

Very possibly it will be at this time that Antichrist with 
his army will leave the city, and go up against Jerusalem; 
with the intention of making that a second capital for him- 
self ; as predicted in Daniel : — 

"But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble 
him : therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, 
and utterly to make away many. And he shall plant the taber- 
nacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy 
mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help 
him." Dan. 1 1 :44-45- 

And it is there at Jerusalem that he shall meet his doom at 
the hands of the King of kings, and Lord of lords. And 
in the meantime Babylon the great will have been brought 
to desolation. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Christ's Second Coming. 

It is not necessary to dwell upon the fact of Christ's 
Second Coming; we all believe in that; we believe also, 
that it will be sudden ; in fact, he will come when least ex- 
pected by many: — 

"For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even 
unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." 
Matt. 24:27. 

But while all are agreed on these points ; there is a great 
difference of opinion as to the manner of his coming, the 
object of his coming, and the result of his coming; especially, 
so far as the resurrection of the dead is concerned. Post- 
millennialists believe and teach that Christ will come direct 
to earth; raise the dead, and set up the final judgment of 
both righteous and wicked. The Premillennialists believe 
and teach that Christ will first descend into the air, and 
there receive his Church ; the risen and living saints ; that 
the Church will then be judged as to her works, and each 
one will receive his reward, and be appointed to his position 
in the coming kingdom. While this is going on in the 
heavenlies, the great tribulation will be taking place on 
earth; the end of which will be accomplished by Christ's 
descent to earth, with his saints and angels, to take venge- 
ance upon his enemies, and to set up his kingdom. Whether 
the theory of the Premillennialists is correct or otherwise, I 
must leave the reader to judge, when I have produced the 
evidence. But in this chapter we shall confine ourselves to 
an examination of certain passages upon which the Post- 
93 



94 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

millennialists, to a great extent, base their theory of a gen- 
eral resurrection. And, I confess, that at first sight, they 
do seem to teach this theory; but a careful examination of 
them I think will prove otherwise; especially when taken in 
connection with other positive proofs to the contrary, that 
we shall consider later on. This is the first : — 

"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall 
awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and ever- 
lasting contempt." Daniel 12 :2. 

The second passage relied upon is John 5 128-29 : — 

"Marvel not at this : for the hour is coming, in the which all 
that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth ; 
they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they 
that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." 

A third is Revelation 20:11-15, but as we shall have to 
consider this under the subject of the final Judgment, we 
shall confine our remarks for the present to the two passages 
we have quoted. In reference to the first, I may say that 
there are many writers who doubt if the passage has any 
reference to the resurrection of the dead : Some refer it 
to the conversion of the Jews, and their deliverance out of 
the hands of their enemies ; while those enemies will be 
put to shame and everlasting contempt Dr. Brown confesses 
that in the first edition of his work he gave this as the 
primary meaning; although he thought its real fulfillment 
would be in the resurrection of the dead. Others think it 
was fulfilled in the deliverance of the Jews under the Mac- 
cabees; while others again suppose it refers to the con- 
version of many Jews at Christ's first coming. It will be 
seen by this that there is great difference of opinion as to 
the real meaning of the text ; but personally, I have no doubt 



CHRIST'S SECOND COMING 95 

that it refers to the resurrection of the dead ; and, as I said 
before, at first sight it looks as if it meant the simultaneous 
resurrection of the righteous and the wicked; but there is 
one very serious difficulty right on the face of it; and that 
is the word many : that at once limits the resurrection in 
some way ; and I suppose no one will pretend it means that 
some of the righteous and some of the wicked will be raised, 
while others of each class will be left in their graves. What 
then does it mean ? Many does not mean all ; although Dr. 
Brown tries to make out that it does ; and quotes St. Augus- 
tine in support of it, where he says, — "Scripture sometimes 
puts many for all, as when it is said to Abraham, 'I have 
made thee a father of many nations/ while in another place 
it is said, 'In thy seed shall all nations be blessed.' " With 
all due respect to St. Augustine and Dr. Brown, I beg to 
submit that the two things are very different, as will be seen 
by substituting the words. Read the first sentence with the 
word all, I have made thee a father of all nations : Is that 
true? Most certainly not. Read the other sentence with 
the word many. In thee shall many nations be blessed. 
Here you seriously restrict the meaning of the passage. 
Both statements are correct as they stand. Abraham was 
the father of many nations, but not all ; and in his seed, 
(Jesus Christ) all nations are blessed. The quotation is a 
most unfortunate one, for it proves the very opposite of 
that which it was intended to prove. Again then, we come 
back to the question, What does the passage mean? And 
I have no hesitation in saying that I believe we have here 
another illustration of that grouping of near and distant 
events of which I have previously spoken. The prophets 
had visions of these things but the distinction as to time 
was not always revealed: and I believe we have here the 
two resurrections; the many righteous being raised at the 



96 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

commencement of the Millennium, and the many wicked at 
its close. 

There is another matter that may give us some further 
light. In verse i of this chapter Daniel informs us that 
"there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since 
there was a nation even to that same time." Have we any 
other information as to this time of trouble? Yes, for in 
Matthew 24:21-22, Christ says: — 

"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since 
the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 
And except those days should be shortened, there should no 
flesh be saved : but for the elect's sake those days shall be 
shortened." 

There can be no doubt that the tribulation spoken of by 
Christ is the same as that mentioned by Daniel ; and the 
time of it is fixed by Christ in verses 29-30: — 

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the 
sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and 
the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens 
shall be shaken : and then shall appear the sign of the Son of 
man in heaven : and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, 
and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of 
heaven with power and great glory." 

And now let us read Zechariah 13 :8-9: — 

"And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the 
Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third 
shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through 
the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try 
them as gold is tried; they shall call on my name, and I will 
hear them ; I will say, It is my people ; and they shall say, The 
Lord is my God." 



CHRIST'S SECOND COMING 97 

Here you have the great tribulation again, as it pertains 
to the Jews; it is the "time of Jacob's trouble;" and only 
those "who are written in the book," as Daniel says, are 
saved; because they are God's people. But, When is this? 
Let us read verses 3-4 of the following chapter: — 

"Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those na- 
tions, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall 
stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before 
Jerusalem on the east." 

Note, that "his feet shall stand upon the mount of Olives :" 
the very spot he ascended from; so that it is at the same 
time, the coming of the Son of man. But is this the end 
of all things? By no means. It is the restitution of all 
things ; for a little further on we read : — 

"And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day 
shall there be one Lord, and his name one. All the land shall 
be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem : 
and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from 
Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the 
corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's 
winepresses. And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no 
more utter destruction ; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited." 
Verses 9-1 1. 

This is the beginning of the "Golden Age," and Daniel 
says there shall be a resurrection before it; and the only 
resurrection that can take place at that time is the resur- 
rection of the righteous. Dr. Tregelles, a very eminent 
commentator gives the passage from Daniel thus, — "And 
many from among the sleepers in the dust of the earth shall 
awake, these shall be unto everlasting life; but those (the 
rest of the sleepers who do not awake at this time) shall be 
unto shame and everlasting contempt." And from the 
7 



98 THE GOLDEN ACE OF THE WORLD 

proofs I have given, I contend that this must be the mean- 
ing of the passage ; and therefore fails to support the theory 
of a simultaneous resurrection. 

And now let us look at the second passage, John 5 :2&-2g, 
which I have already quoted. I have already pointed out 
that the word hour as used in verse 25, has already length- 
ened out to 1,900 years, and therefore so far as that word 
is concerned, it may also mean a long period of years ; and 
before that period closes, these words will be fulfilled; the 
righteous being raised at the beginning, and the wicked at 
the close ; as will be still further proved later on : for in ex- 
plaining - these passages as I have done I believe I am keep- 
ing in close touch with the general teaching of both the 
Old and New Testaments: and to these we now appeal. 



CHAPTER IX. 

The First Resurrection. 

When Christ comes for his saints, as he has promised to 
do : he will not descend to the earth, but probably into what 
is called the heavenlies ; from which the angels will descend 
to earth, and gather the saints, the dead will be raised from 
their graves first, then, the living saints will be changed; 
and together they will be caught up to meet the Lord in 
the air; where their judgment will take place; but of that 
later on. That this is a first resurrection, separated from 
the final resurrection by at least a thousand years, I shall 
now endeavour to prove. 

First, I take a very remarkable passage from the Old 
Testament. Psalm 50:3-6: — 

"Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall 
devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about 
him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, 
that he may judge his people. Gather my saints together unto 
me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. 
And the heavens shall declare his righteousness : for God is 
judge himself. 

The Psalmist here gets a vision of Christ coming for his 
people. The figures used in the passage, are similar to 
those used in other places. The object of his coming is to 
gather his saints unto himself. Where from ? The heavens 
and the earth. The souls from the heavens, the bodies from 
the earth, as also the living saints from the earth. For what 
purpose shall they be gathered? That they may be judged. 
And in their coming forth with him, when he descends to 
earth; "the heavens will declare his righteousness." 

99 



100 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

Note also that it is the saints only who are gathered unto 
him : the wicked have nothing to do with it ; they are left 
behind, the living on earth; the dead in their graves. 

Now we turn to i Thessalonians 4:13-17: — 

"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concern- 
ing them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others 
which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and 
rose again, even them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring 
with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, 
that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the 
Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord 
himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice 
of the archangel, and with the trump of God : and the dead in 
Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain, shall 
be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the 
Lord in the air : and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 

There are several important points to be noted in this 
passage. First, The Lord descends "from heaven with a 
shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump 
of God." Some say, this will be heard by all the world, and 
all will rise to judgment. But on what authority is this 
statement made? The Bible does not say so, it does not 
hint at such a thing. The fact is there are numbers of ideas 
we have got into our minds which we suppose are founded 
upon the Rock of Truth, but which on examination we find 
are built upon the sand. What we need to do in examining 
a great subject such as this, is to put away all preconceived 
ideas of our own, and honestly "search the Scriptures," like 
the Bereans of old to see if these things are true. Now in 
this case of the call of the archangel, the voice, the shout, 
the sound of the trumpet, will all be heard by those for 
whom they are intended ; that is, the righteous dead. When 
Christ prayed to his Father, after the Greeks came, desiring 
to see him : God answered him from heaven ; but the voice 



THE FIRST RESURRECTION 101 

was only for him, and he only understood it : those standing 
around, heard some indistinct sound, which some thought 
was thunder, while others supposed it was an angel speak- 
ing to him. And the same with Saul on the way to Damas- 
cus, when Jesus spake to him. Paul when giving to the 
Jews an account of his conversion, says, in Acts 22 :g : — 

"And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were 
afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me." 

The message was for Saul only. And doubtless so it will 
be when the shout is given, and the trumpet shall sound for 
the resurrection of the righteous ; only those for whom it 
is intended, will hear and understand. And this is proved 
still further by the only two other passages in which the 
trumpet call is referred to. The first is Matthew 24:31: — 

"And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a 
trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four 
winds, from one end of heaven to the other." 

In the margin we have the alternate reading; "with a 
trumpet and a great voice." The object of the voice and 
the trumpet, is to call together his elect, the living and the 
dead saints. No others are included. 

The other passage is 1 Corinthians 15:51-52: — 

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but 
we shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, 
at the last trump : for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead 
shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." 

Here again we have the call of the trumpets ; but it is 
in connection with the resurrection of the righteous dead 
only; and the changing of the living. It has nothing what- 
ever to do with the rest of the world either living or dead. 
So far then from the voice of the archangel, and the sound 



102 THE GOLDEN AGE OP THE WORLD 

of the trumpet proving that it is a call to the world to come 
to judgment; it proves the very opposite; for the only three 
passages in which these words are used, all refer to the 
call of Christ to his saints to gather together unto him. 

The second point to notice is ; Christ has not descended to 
the earth : the angels have done so for the purpose of rais- 
ing the righteous dead, and gathering them with the living 
saints unto him : but he remains in the air or the heavenlies, 
far above the earth, possibly the place once occupied by the 
prince of the power of the air, who will then have been cast 
out. To this place then, the saints now made immortal, will 
be caught up, to be "for ever with the Lord." 

But now the question arises, Who are comprised in the 
number of the risen saints? Are they restricted to those 
who have believed in Christ since he came in the flesh; or 
are the Old Testament saints included? It seems strange 
to me that such a question should ever have been raised. 
How were the Old Testament saints saved? Was it not 
through Christ the coming Saviour? Were not all the sac- 
rifices types and shadows of the one great sacrifice that 
was to be offered? If so, Why should the Old Testament 
saints be shut out from sharing in the resurrection of the 
just? Most certainly, both Old and New Testament saints 
will share in this glorious resurrection. 

But lest the reader should be still unconvinced as to the 
fact of a first resurrection of the righteous prior to the 
Millennium, we will examine the matter still further. But 
first let me say that in this important passage that we have 
been considering, there is not the slightest hint of any others 
being raised at this time; it is one great event; the resur- 
rection of the righteous, and their exaltation with the living 
saints to the heavenlies ; where Christ is waiting to receive 
them. And while this may not be positive proof that there 



THE FIRST RESURRECTION 103 

is no resurrection of the wicked at the same time; it is 
very strong presumptive evidence to that effect. 

Postmillennialists say, there is only one passage in the 
Bible to prove a first resurrection, and that that passage 
being found in such a figurative book as the Revelation, 
must be explained in a way that will coincide with those 
passages which teach a simultaneous resurrection of the just 
and unjust. We will not at present discuss the question of 
the literal or spiritual interpretation of Revelation 20, but, 
first of all, see if there are any other passages that teach this 
doctrine. We have already given two very important pas- 
sages that are strongly in favour of it : in addition to which, 
we have shewn, in the previous chapter, that one of the 
passages which it is said teaches the simultaneous resur- 
rection of the righteous and the wicked, is really more 
against it than for it; while the other does not necessarily 
provide it : so that I think the evidence is in our favour as 
far as we have gone: but there is more to follow. Here is 
a text from the Old Testament that is well worth consider- 
ing:— 

"Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall 
they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust : for thy dew 
is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. 
Come my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy 
doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, 
until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh 
out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their 
iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no 
more cover her slain." Isaiah 26:19-21. 

It will be noticed that the words "men," and "together 
with/' are in italics, signifying that they are not in the 
original ; and the word body should be in the plural ; hence, 
the Revised Version reads, — "Thy dead shall live, my dead 



104 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

bodies shall arise." The first part of this passage is under- 
stood by some to be a figurative expression, indicating the 
return of the Jews from their captivity; while others be- 
lieve it means a spiritual awakening in connection with the 
Christian Church. I cannot see any ground for either of 
these theories, especially when you take the three verses to- 
gether; but I believe we have here as in Daniel 12:2, a 
prophecy of the first resurrection; and I will give my rea- 
sons for so believing. First, This resurrection takes place 
at, or about the time of the Jews' return to their own land ; 
as may be seen at once by reading the previous part of the 
chapter and also chapter 27. Take for instance the follow- 
ing brief quotations: — 

"Thou hast increased the nation, O Lord, thou hast increased 
the nation : thou art glorified : thou hadst removed it far unto 
all the end of the earth." 26:15. 

"He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: 
Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world 
with fruit." 27:6. 

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet 
shall be blown, and they shall come that were ready to perish 
in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, 
and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem." 
27:13. 

The return of the Jews as we have already shewn takes 
place about the time of the first resurrection, and therefore 
the resurrection of our text, falling as it does at the same 
time, must surely be the same. 

In the second place, It occurs just prior to a time of great 
trouble; a time of indignation; when "the Lord comes out 
of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their 
iniquity." This certainly looks like the great tribulation, 
followed by Christ's coming to destroy his foes. And this 



THE FIRST RESURRECTION 105 

we know is preceded by the first resurrection. Then again, 
note the remarkable expression, "My dead bodies shall arise." 
The dead bodies are his, they belong to him; but this can 
only be said of the righteous ; and so cannot be spoken in 
reference to a resurrection of good and bad : but the words 
are singularly appropriate to the resurrection of the right- 
eous. Once more, The invitation, "Come my people," etc., 
is fully explained in Christ's call to the living saints to come 
into safety and protection with him during the great tribu- 
lation. And this is just what is taught in other portions 
of God's Word. Here are one or two examples. Luke 
21:36:— 

"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be ac- 
counted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to 
pass, and to stand before the Son of man." 

Christ had just been speaking of his second coming, and 
the terrible events that would precede that coming ; and fin- 
ishes up with the above words. How were they to escape 
all these things? Only by being caught up to stand before 
the Son of man. 

Then in Revelation 3:10, we have the same thing in the 
form of a promise : — 

"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will 
keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon 
all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." 

How are they to be kept from this awful hour of tempta- 
tion? Certainly not by leaving them on the earth; for it 
was to "come upon all the zvorld, to try them that dwell 
upon the earth." So they must be taken away from the 
earth, if they are to escape. Allow that there is a First 
Resurrection, and a translation of the righteous, and all is 



106 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

plain; but, deny it, and you look in vain for a satisfactory 
explanation of all these passages. 

And now I direct attention to a very remarkable fact in 
connection with those passages which speak of the resur- 
rection of the dead ; and a fact that can only be explained 
on the basis of a first and second resurrection. When the 
resurrection is spoken of in a general way, a certain phrase 
is used, viz: The resurrection of the dead. Here are two 
or three examples out of many. Acts 17:32: — 

"And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some 
mocked," etc. 

When Paul was making his defence before the Jews, he 
said : — 

"Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; 
of the hope and resurrection OF the dead. I am called in ques- 
tion." Acts 23:6. 

Again, in 1 Corinthians 15:12-13: — 

"Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how 
say some among you that there is no resurrection or the dead? 
But if there be no resurrection or the dead, then is Christ not 
risen." 

In these passages Paul is contending with the Sadducees, 
who denied the fact of a resurrection; and in each case, as 
in numerous other passages the word of is used: but when 
the resurrection of the righteous only is referred to, there 
is a change, and the same word is used as when speaking 
of the resurrection of Christ, i. e., From the dead. Now this 
change is not accidental ; no one would presume to say that 
it is. Of course, in speaking of the resurrection of Christ, 
as also of Lazarus, it was necessary to use the word from, 



THE FIRST RESURRECTION 107 

but in speaking of the resurrection of the righteous, no 
such necessity existed. Why then should the same word be 
used? Surely because it means the same thing, viz: a 
resurrection from among the dead; implying the leaving 
of others behind. Here are some illustrations of the use of 
the word in this connection : — 

"And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this 
world marry, and are given in marriage : But they which 
shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resur- 
rection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage : 
neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the 
angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the 
resurrection." Luke 20:34-36. 

Here it is the resurrection of the righteous that is referred 
to; for if not, there would be no sense in the statement, 
"They are the children of God, being the children of the 
resurrection." These words of Christ are one of the strong- 
est proofs we could have of a separate resurrection of the 
righteous, apart from the fact that the word from is used 
where the word of might have been used, and doubtless 
would have been, if there was no separate resurrection for 
the righteous. Take also Philippians 3:11 : — 

"If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection from 
the dead." 

In the authorized version the word OF is used but it is 
From in the original ; and is so translated in the R. V. If 
there was only one resurrection why does the Apostle use 
the word from instead of of? And why should he desire 
and labour so earnestly to attain unto a resurrection that 
was common to all men ? The words are practically without 
meaning, unless you accept the theory of a First Resurrec- 
tion. Another thing that deserves mention is, that the 



108 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

Apostle here lays special emphasis on the word from or out 
of; repeating it twice, so that literally it reads, — "If by any 
means I might attain unto the out resurrection from among 
the dead." There is no getting away from the fact that 
these words mean a special resurrection. Now let us read 
on in verses 12-14: — 

"Not as though I had already attained, either were already 
perfect : but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for 
which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count 
not myself to have apprehended : but this one thing I do, forget- 
ting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto 
those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the 
prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." 

Note particularly the last verse, — "I press toward the 
mark" or goal, the end of the race, "for the prize of the 
high calling," or rather upward calling as it is given in the 
margin of the R. V. You have only to turn to 1 Thess. 
4:16-17, to know what this upward calling is: — 

"The dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive 
and remain shall be caught up together with them in the 
clouds, to meet the Lord in the air." 

Here was the goal of all the Apostle's labours. This was 
the hope that sustained him, in his innumerable trials and 
persecutions ; the hope of sharing in the First Resurrection, 
and being caught up to meet the Lord in the air. 

Here is another passage in which a separate resurrection 
is at least indicated : — 

"But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, 
the lame, the blind; and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot 
recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resur- 
rection of the just." Luke 14:13-14. 



THE FIRST RESURRECTION 109 

If there was one common resurrection, Why did Christ 
make the distinction, and speak of a resurrection of the just? 
It certainly implies a resurrection confined to the just. If 
not it would have been quite sufficient to say, — "Thou shalt 
be recompensed at the resurrection." 

So far then from Rev. 20:4-6, being the only passage in 
support of a first resurrection of the righteous, we have quite 
sufficient to establish that doctrine, if there was no such 
passage in the Bible: but there is that passage in addition 
to all the other proofs that I have brought forward ; and 
now we will examine this additional proof: — 

"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment 
was given unto them : and I saw the souls of them that were 
beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God, 
and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, 
neither had received his mark upon their forehead, or in their 
hands ; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years 
were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy 
is he that hath part in the first resurrection : on such the second 
death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of 
Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." Rev. 20 14-6. 

The first thing I want to notice is, the time of the vision ; 
as this is very important. It was subsequent to the mar- 
riage of the Lamb. The Church, the Bride of Christ, had 
already been caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Hence 
in Rev. 19:7-9, we read:— 

"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for 
the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made her- 
self ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed 
in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteous- 
ness of the saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are 
they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. 
And he said unto me, These are the true saying of God." 



110 THE GOLDEN AGE OP THE WORLD 

Still further, the great tribulation was over, and Christ 
had come with the armies of heaven; the thousands of his 
saints and angels, to take vengeance upon his enemies. The 
beast (Antichrist) and the false prophet had been cast into 
the lake of fire, and the devil shut up for a thousand years, 
Rev. 19:11-21; 20:1-3, gives the account of these things, 
we quote in full : — 

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and 
he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in 
righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were 
as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns ; and he 
had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And 
he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood : and his name 
is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in 
heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, 
white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, 
that with it he should smite the nations; and he shall rule 
them with a rod of iron; and he treadeth the winepress of the 
fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his 
vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of kings, and 
Lord of lords. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and 
he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the 
midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the 
supper of the great God ; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, 
and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the 
flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of 
all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw 
the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered 
together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and 
against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the 
false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which 
he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and 
them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive 
into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant 
were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which 
sword proceeded out of his mouth; and all the fowls were filled 
with their flesh. And I saw an angel come down from heaven, 



THE FIRST RESURRECTION 111 

having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his 
hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which 
is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and 
cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal 
upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the 
thousand years should be fulfilled; and after that he must be 
loosed a little season." 

That these words are to some extent figurative no one will 
deny; but that they represent Christ's coming to earth I 
think is evident. That the rider on the white horse is Jesus 
no one can dispute. He only is the "Faithful and True." 
He only is the "Word of God," and He only is the "King 
of kings, and Lord of lords." 

In the second Psalm it was prophesied of him thiat he 
should "break the nations with a rod of iron." Here we 
see the prophecy fulfilled. "He shall rule them with a rod 
of iron." In Isaiah 1 1 14, it is said of him, "He shall smite 
the earth with the rod of his mouth," and here he is seen 
fulfilling the same; for, "Out of his mouth goeth a sharp 
sword, that with it he should smite the nations." Again, 
in Isaiah 63 :i-6, we have a wonderful prophecy; in a vision, 
that was given to Isaiah, he saw a man approaching with 
dyed garments ; and he asks : — 

"Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments 
from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in 
the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, 
mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and 
thy garments like him that treadeth the winefat? I have 
trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none 
with me : for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample 
them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my 
garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of 
vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is 
come. And I looked, and there was none to help; and I won- 
dered that there was none to uphold; therefore mine own arm 



112 THE GOLDEN AGE OP THE WORLD 

brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. And 
I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them 
drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the 
earth." 

In the vision given to John, he sees the fulfillment of these 
words; for he says, — "He treadeth the winepress of the 
fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." And we know 
when they are to be accomplished. It is astonishing what 
a picture we have here of the exact fulfillment of these 
prophecies. And here is another from Daniel 7:11 : — 

"I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, 
and given to the burning flame." 

And in Revelation John sees the beast and the false 
prophet both "cast into a lake of fire." Who can doubt that 
this will be the fulfillment of the earlier prophecy? If any- 
thing was needed to confirm it, we have it in that which 
immediately follows, viz : The coming of the Son of man 
to the Ancient of days ; from whom he receives the kingdom, 
which is universal. And here in Revelation, we have the 
one thousand years of Messiah's reign immediately follow- 
ing the destruction of the beast and false prophet. Yet. 
once more, Ezekiel, in connection with his vision of Israel's 
return and settlement in their own land is told by God to 
invite the fowls of the air, and the beasts of the field to a 
great sacrifice. Here is the text: — 

"And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God; Speak 
unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, 
Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every 
side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great 
sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh 
and drink blood. Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and 
drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, 



THE FIRST RESURRECTION 113 

and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. And 
ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, 
of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. Thus ye shall 
be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty 
men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord God." Ezekiel 
39:17-20. 

And now in this last book of the Bible, and after the 
Jews have been gathered to their own land, John hears an 
angel saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, 
"Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of 
the great God," etc., see verses 17-18. That this is a repeti- 
tion of the same prophecy there can be no doubt ; only here, 
the time is more clearly defined: it is when the King of 
kings comes to destroy his enemies, and set up his kingdom. 

Thus then in various ways we have fixed the time of the 
fulfillment of the things contained in Rev. 20:4-6. It is 
after the Jews' return, the resurrection of the saints, and 
Christ's second coming: so that to attempt to place them 
during this present dispensation is entirely out of the ques- 
tion. But now let us turn to the passage itself. "And I 
saw thrones," etc. How any one can read these words, 
and the rest of the chapter, and then say that verses 4-10 
are to be spiritualized ; and that the first resurrection means 
a great revival of spiritual religion; a raising up of num- 
bers of men and women in the spirit and power of the early 
Christians, and the martyrs of pagan and papal Rome, to 
spread the gospel throughout the world, and so bring in a 
time of universal peace and righteousness, I cannot under- 
stand; especially, when they acknowledge that verses n-15, 
which speak of the last judgment must be taken literally. 
If the judgment is literal, so is the first resurrection, for 
they are too closely related to admit of a separation like that. 
Read again the 6th verse: — 
8 



114 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrec- 
tion : on such the second death hath no power." 

Is the second death a reality ? Certainly ; for we are told 
in the 14th verse, that the second death is the lake of fire: 
which is the portion of those whose names are not written 
in the book of life. How then can you make one figurative 
and the other literal ? Then again, take the 5th verse : — 

"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand 
years were finished." 

If the first resurrection does not apply to those who were 
really dead, who are these rest of the dead, who do not 
live till after the thousand years? Postmillennialists try to 
explain it, but a sorry explanation it is. I have read their 
explanations of this and the other parts of this vision, over 
and over again, and to say the least, they are most unsatis- 
factory. It is impossible for me to wade through their 
arguments, and answer them, but I will just give one illus- 
tration, on a point that we must now consider, viz: who 
they were that are said to 'live and reign with Christ a 
thousand years." See verse 4. Dr. Brown in writing on 
this point says, — "It is a fatal objection to the literal sense 
of this prophecy, as announcing the bodily resurrection of 
all dead, and the change of all living saints, that it is ex- 
clusively a martyr scene — the prophet beholding simply a 
resurrection of the slain ; whereas this very circumstance 
eminently favours the figurative sense. The vision is de- 
scribed first generally, and then in detail. Two companies 
are seen in the vision, and in two successive and opposite 
conditions — first as dead and dishonoured, next as risen and 
rejoicing." Thus : — 



THE FIRST RESURRECTION 115 

General Description oe the Vision. 

"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment 
was given unto them :" 

Detailed Description oe the Vision. 

First Company Seen Dead. 

"And (I saw) the souls of them that had been beheaded for 
the testimony of Jesus, and for the Word of God;" 

Second Company Seen Dead. 

"And (I saw) such as had not worshipped the beast nor his 
image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, 
and on their hands :" 

Both Companies Seen Risen and Reigning. 

"And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." 

I have given the above extract exactly as it appears in 
Dr. Brown's book. But the reader must remember that 
the resurrection, and reigning here spoken of is all to be 
interpreted spiritually, i. e., according to Dr. Brown. 

But now let us examine the extract as it stands. And 
first of all let me say that the writer makes a statement that 
is not borne out by the text; viz: "that it is exclusively a 
martyr scene." And then in order to sustain that, he divides 
the passage up into a general and detailed description of the 
vision. A division that is not warranted by the text. So far 
from the first part of the text being a "General description 
of the vision," it speaks of a distinct class of persons entirely 
from those that follow: but the Doctor joins what is clearly 
distinct, and then divides what is plainly joined together. 
Let any one compare the text as it stands in the Bible, with 
what Dr. Brown has given, and say if it is not so. And 
now let us see if we can ascertain who these are that John 
saw sharing in the first resurrection. The first company sat 



116 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

on thrones, and had judgment given unto them. Are there 
any other passages that will throw light upon this? Read 
Matthew 19:28: — 

"And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye 
which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of 
man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon 
twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." 

Read again in Luke 22 :28-3C : — 

"Ye are they which have continued with me in my tempta- 
tions. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath 
appointed unto me: that ye may eat and drink at my table in 
my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of 
Israel." 

Some will say perhaps that these passages restrict this 
honour to the Apostles ; but there are other passages which 
show that similar honours are reserved for all the saints. 
The Apostle Paul in writing to the Corinthian Church 
says : — 

"Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? 
and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to 
judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge 
angels? how much more things that pertain to this life." 1 
Corinthians 6:2-3. 

This also is confirmed by Christ in his Epistles to the 
Churches. Take the two following passages : — 

"And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the 
end, to him will I give power over the nations : and he shall 
rule them with a rod of iron ; as the vessels of a potter shall 
they be broken to shivers : even as I received of my Father." 
Revelation 2 :26-27. 

"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my 
throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my 
Father in his throne." Revelation 3 :2I. 



THE FIRST RESURRECTION 117 

There are many other passages, but they will be consid- 
ered when speaking of the Reign of the Saints ; these, how- 
ever, are sufficient to clearly indicate who they were that 
John saw sitting on thrones, and to whom judgment was 
given. They were the risen and translated saints, who 
had come to reign with Jesus ; the distinguishing honour of 
the Apostles being that they were to reign over the twelve 
tribes of Israel. In addition to these, he saw those who had 
been martyred during the great tribulation. Dr. Brown, as 
we have seen, divides this company into two classes; and 
says that the first class represent the martyrs of Pagan 
Rome; and the second those of Papal Rome; only, these 
were not raised from the dead, but others possessed of 
their spirit lived during the Millennial Age of the Christian 
Church. If anyone can believe that this meets the require- 
ments of the text, let him do so, but to me it is far from 
doing so ; and in addition to this, I have already proved that 
neither Christ nor the Apostles ever hint at such a Millen- 
nium during the present Dispensation; but they teach the 
very opposite. Those then whom John saw were the risen 
and translated saints, who had come with Christ ; and those 
who had been put to death for his sake, during the great 
tribulation. 

But here a very important question meets us, viz : Whence 
come these martyrs? For an objector may say, If all the 
good are caught up with the risen saints ; there can be no 
saints left to make martyrs of. At first sight this does 
seem a serious difficulty ; and it would be a wonder if there 
were not difficulties in a great subject such as we are now 
discussing; minor details, that will not be fully explained 
till the time of fulfillment comes. It was the same in refer- 
ence to Christ's first coming. There were many prophecies 
that could not be understood till the time arrived; to men- 



118 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

tion only one: "Behold a virgin shall conceive," etc., Is. 
7:14. The prophecy was to be believed, even if it could 
not be understood; and the same with many others. And, 
as it was in the past, so it may be in the future; certain 
things are prophesied ; and it is not for us to say they can- 
not be, and then try to explain away their obvious mean- 
ing. In this matter, however, difficult as it appears, I think 
we may be able to throw some light upon it. That there will 
be martyrs at this time is certain. In Rev. 6:9-11, we have 
a vision of one band. John says : — 

"And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the 
altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and 
for the testimony which they held : and they cried with a loud 
voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not 
judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 
And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it 
was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, 
until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should 
be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." 

These seem to have been those killed at the first outbreak 
of persecution after the first resurrection; and it is dis- 
tinctly stated that there are yet more to be slain. In Rev. 
13:7, we read: — 

"And it was given unto him (the beast) to make war with 
the saints and to overcome them." 

So there must be saints to war with, and to overcome ; 
and we find the persecution, and slaying of God's people 
referred to again and again in other chapters of this book. 
In chapter 15:2 there is a vision of another band of 
martyrs : — 






THE FIRST RESURRECTION 119 

"And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire : and 
them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his 
image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, 
stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God." 

And now in the 20th chapter we see them risen and re- 
ceiving their reward. I believe most Premillennialist writ- 
ers see in the great multitude before the throne, mentioned 
in chapter 7, the aggregate number of those slain during this 
time; but I think this is a mistake, as I shall shew later on. 

Having thus briefly shewn that there will be saints and 
martyrs in those days; we come back to the question, — 
Whence come they? When the Church is taken away we 
can easily imagine the awful consternation there will be in 
the world ; especially in so called Christian countries. What 
divisions of families there will be, some gone, others left. 
Christian congregations will be decimated. Unfaithful pas- 
tors will find some left like minded with themselves, but 
all the faithful ones gone ; while many fragments of congre- 
gations will find themselves pastorless. People who are 
traveling by sea or land, will suddenly miss numbers of their 
fellow passengers : In a moment in the twinkling of an eye 
they will be caught away. Imagine the scene on board one 
of our great ocean steamers ; hundreds of passengers are 
sitting around the dining tables; when suddenly a third or 
fourth of the number are taken away, their seats are in- 
stantly vacant, husband turns to speak to wife, wife to hus- 
band, parent to child, child to parent, captain to officer, 
friend to friend, but they are not there. Imagine the sur- 
prise, the awe ; and as the awful truth bursts upon them, the 
cry of agony, the wail of despair that will be heard on every 
hand. And this will be repeated the wide world over : — 



120 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

"I tell you in that night there shall be two men in one bed; 
the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women 
shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other 
left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, 
and the other left." Luke 17:34-36. 

It will soon be realized that it is God's faithful children 
who are gone, and the rest are left : Left for what ? Many 
religious professors will know; they will wake up to the 
fact that the time of the great tribulation is near, and ere 
long they will have to choose between death and apostasy; 
and many will cry unto the Lord in that day; and God who 
is rich in mercy, will hear their cry and will save them: — 

"For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be 
saved." Joel 2:32; Rom. 10:13. 

But they will have to pass through the most awful times 
the world has ever known ; and multitudes of them will have 
to seal the truth with their blood. Doubtless thousands will 
be converted at this time, and later on, when God's judg- 
ments are abroad in the earth ; and numbers of them will 
become preachers to their fellow men. That the Gospel will 
be preached in those days is evident. Read Rev. 14:6-7: — 

"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having 
the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the 
earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 
saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; 
for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that 
made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of 
waters." 

That is the Gospel that will be preached ; the last warning 
that will be given before Christ comes to punish the nations, 
and take the kingdom for his own. And we have in this 
text a very vivid idea given us as to the way in which the 



THE FIRST RESURRECTION 121 

Gospel will be preached in that day. It will be carried from 
place to place with almost the swiftness of an angel's flight 
and preached with the power of Apostolic times, and doubt- 
less large numbers will be saved. But the great tribulation 
will follow hard after it; for the devil and Antichrist will 
be in league against God and his people; and the martyrs 
will be many. Well may the angel say: — 

"Woe to the inhabiters of the earth, and of the sea! for the 
devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he 
knoweth that he hath but a short time." Rev. 12:12. 

True, he will have but a short time, for Christ says : — 

"The time must be shortened, or no flesh could be saved." 

In that short time the martyrs will be found, of whom we 
have a vision in Rev. 20 14. These though not converted till 
after the Church has been taken away, yet, because of their 
fidelity to Christ during the great tribulation, and being 
faithful even unto the death, they are permitted to share the 
glory of the risen and translated saints. They are the glean- 
ings of the harvest field. Christ, the first fruits. The 
Church, the harvest. The martyrs of the tribulation, the 
gleanings. 

And now having answered as far as possible the ques- 
tion, Whence come the martyrs of the great tribulation? 
Let us say a few words more in reference to the risen saints. 
Some have raised this difficulty in connection with the mat- 
ter. They say, If there is to be a resurrection of the right- 
eous dead, and translation of the living saints at what may 
be termed the first stage of Christ's second coming; How is 
it that among all the visions of the Book of Revelation, there 
is no vision of these risen saints? This is not a fatal objec- 
tion by any means; supposing it was so; but still it is a 



122 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

very natural question and needs answering. I have already 
stated that some Premillennialists teach that the great multi- 
tude spoken of in Rev. 7:9-17, are the martyrs of the great 
tribulation : a theory I think that has very little in its favour, 
and a great deal against it. This idea seems to have arisen 
from the statement that "they came out of great tribula- 
tion." And it is taken for granted that they must have 
passed through the great tribulation ; but that does not 
necessarily follow. The word here translated "out of" 
means also from or away from, so that it would be quite as 
correct to read, — "These are they that came away from the 
great tribulation," i. e., they were saved from it. God's 
word is to be fulfilled : — 

"The righteous is taken away from the evil to come." Isaiah 
57:i. 

And this is what Christ promised to the Church at Phila- 
delphia : — 

"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will 
keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon 
all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." Rev. 3:10. 

But some may ask, Was it not because they came out of 
great tribulation that they had their position before the 
throne? No, but rather because they had "washed their 
robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." 
Again, Some may think that the statement, "They shall 
hunger no more," etc., indicates that they must have come 
out of or rather passed through the great tribulation: but 
this does not follow. God's people in all ages have been 
more or less a suffering people, and especially so when the 
Revelation was written ; the fires of persecution burned 
fiercely and long ; and this vision of freedom from suffering 



THE FIRST RESURRECTION 123 

has been a great comfort to the succeeding generations of 
suffering Christians. But now that it may be seen that I 
am not putting a meaning into the words that do not apply 
elsewhere, let me give a few passages where this same word 
is used, with this very meaning: — 

"Who delivered us from (or out of) so great a death." 2 
Cor. 1 :io. 

"And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know 
of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered 
me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of 
the people of the Jews." Acts 12:11. 

Herod intended to bring Peter out the next day, and put 
him to death, and the Jews were expecting this ; but God 
delivered him from or out of this expected death. He was 
literally taken away from this death; just as the Church 
will be taken away from the great tribulation. Again : — 

"The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of tempta- 
tions." 2 Peter 2:9. 

These words refer to the deliverance of Lot from the 
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah ; and he was not saved 
in the destruction, but he was taken away from it, he left it 
behind him. And only to mention one more : — 

"And if any man shall take away from the words of the 
book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the 
book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things that 
are written in this book." Rev. 22:19. 

The man here spoken of was not in the holy city ; he had 
no part in the tree of life ; and God says he shall be kept 
from entering into the one, or having any part in the other. 
And just so, the living righteous shall be kept from enter- 



124 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

ing into, or suffering from the great tribulation, by being 
caught up with the risen saints to meet Christ in the air: 
and in this vision we see them before the throne of God. 

Some think that the Church will remain with Christ in the 
heavenlies, till the tribulation is over, and then descend with 
Christ, but I can find no proof of this ; nor even a hint of it. 
The resurrection and translation of the saints is immediately 
followed, as we shall see shortly, by their judgment accord- 
ing to their works ; and then, the bride having made her- 
self ready, shall she not be presented to the Father? Christ 
himself answers the question : — 

"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will 
I confess also before my Father which is in heaven." Matthew 
10:32. 

"He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white 
raiment ; and I will not blot out his name out of the book 
of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and 
before his angels." Rev. 3 15. 

Whatever may be done at any other time; this, the con- 
summation of the marriage of the Lamb, must surely be the 
time when the Bride is presented to God the Father. In the 
parable of the ten virgins, the wise, who represent the 
risen saints, are received to the marriage supper of the 
Lamb; and whatever that may mean, you cannot conceive 
of its taking place anywhere but in the presence of the 
Father. But let us turn now to Rev. 19:6-9: 

"And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and 
as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thun- 
derings, saying, Alleluia : for the Lord God omnipotent reign- 
eth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for 
the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made 
herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be 
arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the 



THE FIRST RESURRECTION 125 

righteousness of the saints. And he saith unto me, Write, 
Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of 
the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings 
of God." 

It is evident that this is preparatory to the revelation of 
Christ and his Church to the world. The marriage has 
taken place in the presence of the Father, and now Christ 
will come in his glory, and all the saints with him ; and, they 
come from heaven. See verse 1 1. Notice also that the 
bride was "arrayed in fine linen, clean and white." Now 
read verse 14 : — 

"And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon 
white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean." 

The clothing of the bride, and the clothing of the saints 
that accompany Christ is the same, thus indicating them to 
be one. And I think there can be no question as to their 
being the same as the great multitude before the throne, 
who had "washed their robes, and made them white in the 
blood of the Lamb." 

Another proof that this vast multitude before the throne 
is the Church of Christ as a whole, and not the martyrs of 
the great tribulation, is found in the song of the four beasts, 
and the four and twenty elders; as given in Rev. 5:8-10: — 

"And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four 
and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one 
of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the 
prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou 
art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: 
for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood 
out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and 
hast made us unto our God kings and priests : and we shall 
reign on the earth." 



126 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

The R. V. gives a somewhat different translation to this, 
but it does not affect my argument. The words evidently 
refer to the whole company of the redeemed ; and the same 
words as in Rev. 7 :g, are used to declare where they came 
from ; viz : "out of all nations, and kindreds and people, and 
tongues." In addition to this, we cannot conceive of so 
many converts being made during the short time of the 
tribulation, as to give such an innumerable company of 
martyrs from all parts of the world. Another fatal objec- 
tion to this theory is, that the song of praise is given for 
these redeemed ones, and the vision of them is seen at the 
very commencement of the days of tribulation; so, How 
could it be a vision of the whole of the martyrs? But the 
time fits in exactly for a vision of the risen and translated 
saints. 

For these various reasons, I am convinced that in the 
great company before the throne, we have the whole Church 
of Christ; the risen dead, and the living, who have been 
changed, and taken away from the great tribulation. And 
that these also are the armies of heaven, that are seen ac- 
companying Christ when he comes to earth in his glory; 
and who sit "on thrones, and to whom judgment is given ;" 
and who with the risen martyrs of the great tribulation "live 
and reign with Christ a thousand years." 



CHAPTER X. 
The Judgment of the Saints. 

I have already stated that Postmillennialists teach that at 
Christ's second coming the whole world will be judged ; and 
the eternal state of each individual will then be fixed ; the 
righteous entering into possession of the new heaven and the 
new earth, and the wicked being consigned to their final 
punishment. That there are some very serious objections 
to this theory must be acknowledged by anyone who gives 
the matter serious thought ; and I will first of all state some 
of these objections ; and then shew what I believe to be the 
teaching of the Scriptures on this subject. In one or two 
of the previous chapters, I have proved very clearly from 
Christ's own teaching, and from the general tenor of the 
Scriptures, especially the New Testament, that there is not 
the slightest indication of any lengthened period of uni- 
versal peace and righteousness before Christ's coming: so 
that, if the final judgment takes place at Christ's coming, 
there can be no such period: but the Old Testament and 
the 20th of Revelation prove, as we have shewn in the first 
chapter, that there will be such a period, and it must be 
after Christ comes. Again, I hope to prove in a succeeding 
chapter, that when Christ comes, it will be to reign over 
the earth, and to subdue all things unto himself ; and, if this 
be so, the final judgment cannot take place till he has so 
reigned. 

Another objection, and one I think that is still more 
difficult to satisfactorily answer, is, in connection with the 
return of the Jews to Palestine, and their re-establishment 

127 



128 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

there. By referring to the chapter on this subject, it will 
be seen that the ten tribes of Israel, and Judah, are to be 
united, and brought back to their own land ; that in that 
land they shall long enjoy the work of their hands ; even 
"unto many generations." A time of prosperity such as they 
have never known in their palmiest days, under David and 
Solomon, is promised them: but this will not be during 
their unbelief; they will have to be grafted into the old 
olive tree again, as the Apostle says ; and that will be "life 
from the dead." Now we have already proved that this 
resurrection to spiritual life will be brought about by the 
coming of Christ. Let me repeat and enlarge a little here, 
as the point is of vital importance. During the week before 
the crucifixion Christ rode into Jerusalem as a king; and 
the disciples with the multitude shouted his praises, saying, 
"Hosanna to the Son of David ! Blessed is he that cometh 
in the name of the Lord ; Hosanna in the highest !" The 
Jews objected to this; but Jesus justified it, saying, — "I 
tell you that, if these should hold their peace the stones 
would immediately cry out." Shortly after, probably the 
next day, he uttered those scathing denunciations against 
the Scribes and Pharisees contained in Matt. 23, finishing up 
with the pathetic lamentation : — 

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and 
stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I 
have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth 
her chickens under her wings, and ye would not ! Behold, your 
house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall 
not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that 
cometh in the name of the Lord." 

Mark the last words especially. They had objected the day 
before to the disciples using these words, but he tells them 
that they also shall use them in the day of his coming again. 



THE JUDGMENT OF THE SAINTS 129 

,True, this does not prove directly that they shall be con- 
verted by his appearing, but it proves that they will acknowl- 
edge him as the Christ when he does come; which is the 
first step in our argument. Now if we turn to Zechariah 12, 
we shall find that the Jews will be in possession of their 
own land when Christ comes, and we shall see also what the 
result of his coming will be to them. In verse 6, we read : — 

"And Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, 
even in Jerusalem." 

Then in verses 8-10, we read: — 

"In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jeru- 
salem ; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be 
as David ; and the house of David shall be as God, as the 
angel of the Lord before them. And it shall come to pass in 
that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come 
against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, 
and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and 
of supplications : and they shall look upon me whom they have 
pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his 
only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in 
bitterness for his firstborn." 

I have already proved from Rev. 1 :y, that the words, 
"they shall look upon me whom they have pierced;" must 
be taken literally. Deep conviction will seize upon their 
souls as they see him descend, accompanied by heaven's 
hosts, to the Mount of Olives; (Zech. 14:4) and recognize 
by the print of the nails in his hands, and the spear thrust in 
his side, that this is he whom their fathers crucified : and in 
that day they shall realize that the fountain in which so 
many Gentiles have been cleansed is open for them also, 
and, plunging therein, they shall be cleansed, and Christ 
shall say, "It is my people, and they shall say, The Lord is 
9 



130 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

my God." Here we have the conversion of the Jewish peo- 
ple as a whole, at the appearing of Jesus Christ. A nation 
shall be born in a day. And then shall commence their 
glorious state of prosperity, in which all the world will 
share. From these things we conclude that the final judg- 
ment will not take place at the coming of Christ. 

And now I will state what I believe to be the teaching 
of God's word on this important subject. And let me say 
that I am not simply repeating the theories and arguments 
of others ; but, I am giving what I believe to be the teaching 
of Scripture, after earnest and prayerful study of the same. 
If it fits in with the teaching of others ; I am pleased to add 
my testimony to what others have taught; but, if not, I 
must leave the reader to judge for himself if I am right. 
First of all I lay it down as a principle that all men will 
have to be judged. Second, That admission to the pres- 
ence of God, will not depend upon good works that we 
have done, but upon faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; for: — 

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." 

Third, That everyone will be rewarded according to his 
works ; both righteous and wicked : — 

"For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every 
secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Eccl. 
12:14. 

In the parable of the Pounds, our Lord teaches this last 
great truth concerning the righteous : the man whose pound 
gained ten pounds, was given authority over ten cities ; 
while the man, whose pound gained five pounds, only had 
five cities. In the parable of the Talents, Christ teaches 
that every one will be judged according to the light and 
advantages he has ; hence, the one who made two talents into 



THE JUDGMENT OP THE SAINTS 131 

four received the same commendation as the one who made 
five talents into ten. Both the amount received, and the 
improvement made of it being taken into consideration in 
the judgment. Again, the same truth is taught concerning 
the wicked in Luke 12:47-48: — 

"And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared 
not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten 
with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things 
worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto 
whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required : 
and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask 
the more." 

But now comes the question, When and where will this 
judgment take place? So far as Christ's Church is con- 
cerned, they all before their death or translation, had the 
assurance that all their sins were covered by the blood of 
Jesus ; and their share in the first resurrection, or transla- 
tion, is their complete justification before God. There can 
be no judgment of these so far as their eternal state is con- 
cerned; hence: — 

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, 
and believeth him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh 
not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life." 
John 5 124. R. V. 

They are Christ's Church, that he has loved and washed 
in his own precious blood ; but, they must stand before him 
to be judged according to their works; and receive their 
various rewards. Let us now see what the Word has to say 
on this matter. We should not be surprised if the Old 
Testament was silent on it, as, Life and immortality have 
been brought to light by the gospel. There is one passage, 



132 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

however, that is too good to be withheld, even though we 
have already quoted it in favour of a first resurrection. I 
refer to Psalm 50:3-6: 

"Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence : a fire shall 
devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about 
him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the 
earth, that he may judge his people. Gather my saints to- 
gether unto me ; those that have made a covenant with me by 
sacrifice. And the heavens shall declare his righteousness : 
for God is judge himself." 

Here God is represented as coming in his glory; and the 
object of his coming is to judge his saints; it is a distinct 
prophecy of a judgment of his saints ; and it is wonderfully 
complete in all its parts. The judgment evidently takes 
place when the saints are gathered together, in other words, 
when they are "caught up to meet the Lord in the air." 

We have already referred to the parables of the Pounds 
and Talents; but must do so again briefly, in this connec- 
tion. In these parables we see Christ returning to take 
possession of his kingdom ; and the first thing he does is to 
judge his servants according to their works. I know that 
the objection will at once be made, that the unfaithful serv- 
ant is here also. True, and this was necessary in order to 
convey all that Christ wanted to teach, viz: that the un- 
faithful servant would not be permitted to share in the 
glories of the kingdom. No one supposes for a moment 
that the conversation with the unfaithful servant is a literal 
one; any more than the conversation between Abraham and 
the rich man is so. The conversation here is introduced to 
shew the folly of men acting as this man did, and the sad 
consequence that will follow; all of which will be accom- 
plished by his being left behind, when the faithful ones are 
called away to receive their reward. 



THE JUDGMENT OF THE SAINTS 133 

In Romans 14:10, the Apostle says: — 

"We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." 

And when he used these words, he was speaking to and 
of believers only. Again, in writing to the Corinthians, he 

says : — 

"Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, 
and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required 
in stewards, that a man be found faithful. But with me it is 
a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's 
judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing 
by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth 
me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, 
until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden 
things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the 
hearts : and then shall every man have praise of God." 1 Cor. 
4:i-S. 

Here the Apostle represent himself as a steward, re- 
sponsible to Christ; and having to give an account of his 
stewardship when he comes ; and "then shall every man have 
praise of God," or as it is in the R. V. "Then shall each 
man have his praise from God," i. e., he will be rewarded 
according to his works. There is no mention or even a hint 
of any other judgment than that of the righteous. Again, 
in his second epistle, after having spoken of the wonderful 
change that shall come to us when "mortality shall be swal- 
lowed up of life," and of his desire to be "absent from the 
body, and present with the Lord," he says : — 

"Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we 
may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the 
judgment seat of Christ: that every one may receive the things 
done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it 
be good or bad." 2 Cor. 5 :9-io. 



134 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

Here again it is only believers who are spoken of. But 
perhaps some one will say, How can this be, if their works 
can be either good or bad ? Surely the righteous and wicked 
are both there. Not necessarily so. The Apostle himself 
explains it very clearly in I Cor. 3:9-15: — 

"For* we are labourers together with God: ye are God's hus- 
bandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God 
which is given unto me, as a wise master builder, I have laid 
the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every 
man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other founda- 
tion can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 
Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious 
stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made 
manifest : for the day shall declare it, because it shall be re- 
vealed by fire ; and the fire shall try every man's work of what 
sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built there- 
upon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be 
burned, he shall suffer loss : but he himself shall be saved ; yet 
so as by fire." 

This clearly proves that a man in Christ Jesus may do 
bad work: if he builds of wood, hay, stubble, upon the 
foundation, his work is bad, and he will lose his reward, 
though he himself shall be saved ; while those who build 
of gold, etc., things that will stand the fire; they shall re- 
ceive their reward. From this we see that when we stand 
before the judgment seat of Christ, we shall be judged as 
to whether our work has been good or bad, as stated in 2 
Cor. 5:10. 

In writing to Timothy, Paul says : — 

"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus 
Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing 
and his kingdom." 2 Tim. 4:1. 

Peter also, when speaking of the trials of believers says : — 



THE JUDGMENT OP THE SAINTS 135 

"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than 
of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be 
found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of 
Jesus Christ." i Peter i 7. 

There are other texts that might be quoted ; but these are 
sufficient to shew that it is at the appearing of Jesus Christ, 
when the pious dead are raised, and the living changed, that 
the judgment of believers will take place; and each one shall 
receive according to his works : and this judgment must 
evidently take place in the air, or the heavenlies, before 
Christ presents them unto the Father. Before we leave the 
subject, however, let me draw attention to the following 
facts : First, On the only two occasions, where the judg- 
ment seat of Christ is mentioned, it is in connection with 
the judgment of the righteous only. I have already quoted 
the passages. Second, Whenever Christ's appearing is re- 
ferred to, it is nearly always in connection with his own 
people. Here are the texts, in addition to those I have al- 
ready quoted, if the reader wishes to examine them. Col. 
3:4; 1 Tim. 6:14; 2 Tim. 4:8; Titus 2:13; Heb. 9:28; 
1 Peter 5 14 ; 1 John 2 128 ; 3 :2. 



CHAPTER XL 

The Judgment of the Nations. 

The first passage to which I draw attention in connection 
with this part of our subject is, Matthew 25:31-46: — 

"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the 
holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his 
glory : and before him shall be gathered all nations : and he 
shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth 
his sheep from the goats : and he shall set the sheep on his right 
hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the king say unto 
them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit 
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the 
world : for I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat : I was 
thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me 
in : naked, and ye clothed me : I was sick and ye visited me : 
I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous 
answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and 
fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee 
a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed? or when 
saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the 
King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, 
Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my 
brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he also say 
unto them on his left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into 
everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels : for I 
was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat : I was thirsty, and 
ye gave no drink : I was a stranger, and ye took me not in : 
naked, and ye clothed me not : sick, and in prison, and ye 
visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, 
when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or 
naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 

136 



THE JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONS 137 

Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inas- 
much as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not 
to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment : 
but the righteous into life eternal." 

This passage I think may be described as the stronghold 
of Postmillennialists, for a simultaneous judgment of the 
righteous and the wicked at Christ's coming: so we must 
see if this stronghold will stand the siege of truth. First, let 
me say, the teaching of the whole chapter is parabolical, or 
at least figurative to a large extent. There is first the par- 
able of the Virgins ; then that of the man who on going into 
a far country to receive a kingdom, delivered unto his 
servants certain talents to trade with till his return; and, 
last, we have the coming of the King. No one for a moment 
supposes that the conversation here said to be carried on 
between the King and his subjects is a real one; it is put 
there to teach some great truth : what that truth is, we shall 
see later on; in the meantime let us notice another passage, 
about which there is no dispute as to its being an account 
of the final judgment. It is Rev. 20:11-15: — 

"I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from 
whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there 
was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and 
great, stand before God ; and the books were opened : and 
another book was opened, which is the book of life : and the 
dead were judged out of those things which were written in 
the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up 
the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the 
dead which were in them: and they were judged every man 
according to their works. And death and hell were cast into 
the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was 
not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of 
fire." 



138 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

I ask anyone to read carefully these two accounts, and 
say if there is any similarity between them : Can they be 
taken as descriptions of the same event? They are as far 
apart as the Poles. In the one we have a judgment of na- 
tions; in the other a judgment of individuals. In the case 
of the nations, there is no hint of a resurrection ; in the other 
it is distinctly stated. In the one case, it is a judgment of 
the nations, for the way in which they have treated some, 
who are called the Lord's brethren; in the other they are 
judged as to whether their names are written in the Lamb's 
book of life ; and also as to their works in general. The only 
similarity is in the punishment of the wicked; and if it had 
not been for this, I doubt if any one would have associated 
the one with the other. True this point of similarity may be 
a difficulty; but, to make the judgment of man at the last, 
so far as his admission into heaven is concerned to depend 
upon works of charity ; is a far greater difficulty ; for it con- 
tradicts the whole teaching of God's Word; which is, that 
man's admission to heaven is not on the ground of good 
works, but of faith in Jesus Christ : — 

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life : and he that 
believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God 
abideth on him." John 3 136. 

And in the account in Revelation, it is distinctly stated 
that the rejection of the wicked was because their names 
were not written in the book of life. Hence it seems to 
me that it is impossible that these should be two accounts 
of the same event. We must, therefore, seek for some other 
meaning to our Lord's words : and I do not think we shall 
have far to seek. First, let us ascertain from other Scrip- 
tures what is to take place at the coming of the Son of man 
to the earth. There are a large number of passages, but 



THE JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONS 139 

we will only refer to a few of the more important ones. 
First Joel 3:1-3, 12: — 

"For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall 
bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also 
gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley 
of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people 
and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among 
the nations, and parted my land. And they have cast lots for 
my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl 
for wine, that they might drink. Let the heathen be wakened, 
and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit 
to judge all the heathen round about." 

In Zephaniah we have a similar prophecy : — 

"Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day 
that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather 
the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon 
them my indignation, even all my fierce anger : for all the earth 
shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy." Zeph. 3:8. 

In Zechariah we have another of similar import : — 

"I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the 
city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women rav- 
ished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the 
residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then 
shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as 
when he fought in the day of battle." Zech. 14:2-3. 

These are just a few out of many passages, shewing that 
when Christ comes, it will be in judgment upon the nations 
who will have assembled to destroy his chosen people at 
Jerusalem. And in the 25th of Matthew Christ gives us a 
vivid description of this judgment of the nations for the 
way' they have treated his brethren. It does not follow 
that all the nations will fight against them; in fact we are 



140 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

told the very opposite. Take the two following passages 
only : — 

"Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish 
first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold 
with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy 
One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee. And the sons of 
strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister 
unto thee : for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour 
have I had mercy on thee. Therefore thy gates shall be open 
continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men 
may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their 
kings may be brought. For the nation and kingdom that will 
not serve thee shall perish ; yea, those nations shall be utterly 
wasted." Isaiah 60:9-12. 

"And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto 
the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and 
in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy 
mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel 
bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord." 
Isaiah 66 :20. 

Here it is seen that some of the Gentile nations will help 
very materially in restoring the Jews to their own land, and 
in assisting them in many ways ; and after doing this they 
are not likely to turn against them: so that there will be 
two classes of nations to be judged by Christ at his coming; 
and he styles them the sheep and the goats. The result of 
his judgment will be that Antichrist and his followers who 
have come up against Jerusalem to destroy it, will be them- 
selves destroyed : and Antichrist with the false prophet will 
be cast alive into the lake of fire. Christ's sentence is : — 

"Depart ye cursed into everlasting fire; prepared for the 
devil and his angels." 



THE JUDGMENT OP THE NATIONS 141 

This sentence is at once executed upon the leaders of the 
alien hosts; and their followers, by their destruction, are 
practically consigned to the same, although their full punish- 
ment is reserved till the final judgment. On the other hand, 
to the righteous nations who care for and help his afflicted 
brethren, the Jews; he will say, "Come ye blessed of my 
Father," etc. The kingdom will then be set up, and these 
will have the privilege of serving in that glorious kingdom ; 
and of entering the new earth later on; thus the one would 
"go away into everlasting punishment,'' and the other "into 
life eternal." This we believe is the meaning of Christ's 
words : it makes them agree with a number of other passages 
on the same subject; and does away with the necessity of 
trying to make them fit into an event with which they have 
no connection. Christ's words are a dramatic setting of his 
judgment of the nations, when he comes to set up his king- 
dom. 



CHAPTER XII. 
The Conversion of the World. 

We have already proved in a previous chapter that uni- 
versal righteousness will not be brought in during the pres- 
ent age: but we have also shewn in the chapter on the 
"Golden Age," that such a state of things will come to pass 
during that age : and we will now still further confirm that ; 
and shew under what circumstances, and by what means it 
will be brought about. 

First, however, let us confirm our faith in the great truth 
itself, by noting some of the glorious prophecies of God's 
word concerning it: — 

"All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the 
Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before 
thee." Psalm 22:27. 

"All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee ; 
they shall sing to thy name." Psalm 66:4. 

"God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear 
him." Psalm 677. 

"The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all 
the nations ; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation 
of our God." Isaiah 52:10. 

"And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to 
another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come 
to worship before me, saith the Lord." Isaiah 66 :23. 

"For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the 
glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." Hab. 2:14. 

"The Lord will be terrible unto them : for he will famish all 
the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one 
from his place, even all the isles of the heathen." Zeph. 2:11. 

142 



THE CONVERSION OF THE WORLD 143 

"Then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they 
may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one 
consent." Zeph. 3 :g. 

"For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of 
the same my name /shall be great among the Gentiles ; and in 
every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure 
offering : for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith 
the Lord of hosts." Malachi 1 :n. 

These are some of the principal passages from the Old 
Testament 'that speak of the world's conversion. In the 
New Testament I think there are only two; viz: Matt. 
28:19-20, with which I have already dealt: and Luke 3:6: — 

"All flesh shall see the salvation of God." 
This last is a quotation from Isaiah 40 15, which reads : — 

"And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh 
shall see it together." 

And while this and the two preceding verses were a 
prophecy concerning John, and were partially fulfilled at 
Christ's first coming, it is evident from the first two verses 
of the chapter in Isaiah that their perfect fulfillment will be 
when Israel is restored and Christ comes again. So that 
this is not really a New Testament prophecy. This lack of 
statement on the matter in the New Testament, is a very 
significant fact ; for if the world was to be converted during 
the present age, there would surely be some plain declara- 
tions concerning it, but there are none, and as I have 
previously shewn, the teaching of Christ and the Apostles, 
is quite in the opposite direction. Another thing we need to 
notice is, that nearly all the Old Testament prophecies that 
I have just quoted, are in connection with Christ's reign on 
the earth ; or the return of the Jews to Jerusalem. For in- 
stance, the words following Psalm 22:27, are: — 



144 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

"For the kingdom is the Lord's : and he is the governor 
among the nations." 

Again in the verses preceding Psalm 67 :y, we read : — 

"O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt 
judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. 
Let the people praise thee, O God ; let all the people praise thee. 
Then shall the earth yield her increase ; and God, even our own 
God shall bless us." 

Evidently the Psalmist saw in vision the Lord reigning 
over the people in righteousness and the great blessings 
flowing from that reign ; blessings that should reach to the 
ends of the earth. The passages from Isaiah are all in con- 
nection with the return and establishment of Israel in their 
own land. The second passage from Zephaniah also, is in 
connection with the same. And is not this just in accord 
with the teaching of the Apostle Paul in Romans 11 : 12-15? 
I have already quoted this passage, but will do so again in 
this connection : — 

"Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the 
diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles ; how much more 
their fulness? For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I 
am the Apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office : if by any 
means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, 
and might save some of them. For if the casting away of 
them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving 
of them be, but life from the dead." 

Great as have been the blessings that have come to the 
Gentile world in the present age, far greater will come when 
Israel is brought home again, and accept Christ as their 
Saviour ; in one word, the whole world will speedily be won 
for Christ. 



THE CONVERSION OF THE WORLD 145 

But have we any information as to how this is to be 
brought about? Suppose we had not; that would not alter 
the facts : "With God all things are possible." And cer- 
tainly he is able to carry out his own great purposes : but 
we have at least some information on the matter. Let us 
remember that the Gospel will be preached among all na- 
tions ; and this is being rapidly accomplished ; so that there 
will be few who have not heard of the wonderful Christ. 
Then, the taking away of the righteous, as I have already 
shewn, will be a worldwide event, that will strike terror 
into the hearts of vast numbers of those who are left behind, 
so that they will be prepared for what is to follow, viz : the 
worldwide proclamation of the near coming of Christ to 
judge the nations, and to set up his kingdom. And when, 
a little later on he appears, that appearing will by some 
means be manifest to all men, and they will acknowledge 
him as Lord of all. 

As to the worldwide proclamation of his coming, it will 
be remembered that in the midst of the awful events that 
will be taking place on the earth after the righteous are taken 
away; John sees an angel flying in the midst of heaven, 
"having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell 
on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, 
and people:" and as I have before stated it is a different 
gospel to that which we preach to day; it is Fear God and 
worship and glorify him for the time of judgment is come. 
This is the first time that we hear of an angel being commis- 
sioned to preach the gospel to the world; and we naturally 
ask, Will it really be an angel that will do this ? We think 
not, though of course God might see fit to use an angel for 
the purpose. An angel is a messenger; and is emblematical 
of strength, wisdom, and swiftness; and I believe that in 
the fires of persecution that will then be raging on the earth, 
10 



146 THE GOLDEN AGE OP THE WORLD 

there will be begotten a zeal and an enthusiasm for the sal- 
vation of men, on the part of believers; that they will go 
forth like angels to warn the world of the coming of the 
King: and with the quick modes of transit that will then be 
in vogue, it will take but a short time to compass the world ; 
and for the last time man will be warned of the Lord's com- 
ing. True, many will be put to death, but that will not deter 
others from carrying on the work. Persecution has always 
produced a noble army of martyrs. Still further, when the 
King has come, and taken vengeance upon his enemies, and 
established his throne in Zion; he will send his messengers 
out to all the nations to declare his glory. See Isaiah 
66:19-20: — 

"I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to 
Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw, the bow, to Tubal, and 
Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither 
have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among 
the Gentiles. And they shall bring all your brethren for an 
offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in 
chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, 
to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord." 

We are not sure who these messengers are; some think 
they are Jews ; some of those who escape out of the great 
slaughter at Jerusalem, before Christ comes to their rescue : 
but this seems hardly feasible as you read the 20th verse. 
It is evident that while large numbers of the children of 
Israel will have returned to Palestine; many will still be in 
other lands ; and these messengers are not only to declare 
Christ's glory among the Gentiles, but to gather the remnant 
of his ancient people, and bring them to Zion : to which they 
will only be too glad to come, because the Lord is there. I 
believe the messengers are taken from among those who 
had escaped when the judgment of the nations took place, 



THE CONVERSION OF THE WORLD 147 

and whom Christ had designated his sheep, and who were 
now to serve him in his kingdom; their first service being 
that which is here appointed : and a very congenial service 
it would be; especially the completion of their work for 
Israel, in gathering them home to their own land. 

By these various means, in a very short time the whole 
world will be brought into at least outward submission to 
the rule of Christ; and the "Golden Age" will have com- 
menced. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Christ's Personal Reign. 

In previous chapters we have incidentally referred to 
Christ's personal reign over his kingdom on earth, but now 
we must answer the question definitely, Will Christ reign 
personally over the earth? And I have not the slightest 
hesitation in saying I believe he will : and I shall now en- 
deavor to prove it, not from the words of men, but the 
words of God himself, or men whom he inspired to speak 
for him. The proofs are so numerous that it is difficult to 
know which to choose. I have noted about forty passages 
that directly or indirectly establish this truth; but we can 
only deal with a few of the most important of them. First, 
we turn to a very familiar one, Psalm 2:6-12: — 

"Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will 
declare the decree : the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my 
Son ; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall 
give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost 
parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them 
with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a pot- 
ter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings : be instructed, 
ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice 
with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish 
from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed 
are all they that put their trust in him." 

I am well aware that the 8th verse is continually quoted 
in favour of Christ's spiritual victories over the heathen: 
and thank God that is true to a certain extent; but that 
that does not fulfill the whole meaning of the passage is 

148 



CHRIST'S PERSONAL REIGN 149 

evident from what immediately follows in verses 9-12, es- 
pecially when you compare these verses with Rev. 2 125-27 : — 

"But that which, ye have already hold fast till I come. And 
he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him 
will I give power over the nations : and he shall rule them with 
a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to 
shivers : even as I received of my Father." 

Here Christ promises to his overcoming saints, the 
authority and power that the Psalmist tells us God had given 
to the Son; and uses the very same terms. Of course the 
saints will rule under Christ, as we shall see later on; but 
that the two passages refer to the same rule, there can be no 
doubt; and the second passage fixes the time. . It is those 
who "hold fast till he comes" It is "to him that overcom- 
eth, and keepeth Christ's works unto the end" that will be 
given "power over the nations." It is impossible to get 
away from the fact that these two passages taken together, 
teach most emphatically that after Christ has come the 
second time; and after the close of the present age; Christ 
with his saints will reign over the nations on earth. 

We now direct attention to Psalm J2, a careful study of 
which has convinced me that the fulfillment of the same 
cannot be found in Christ's spiritual reign over his Church: 
especially verses 7-1 1: — 

"In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of 
peace so long as the moon endureth. He shall have dominion 
also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the 
earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before 
him : and his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish 
and of the isles shall bring presents : the kings of Sheba and 
Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before 
him : all nations shall serve him." 



150 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

Note the words, "In his days." The only other place in 
which these words are used concerning Christ is in Jeremiah 
23 :6, which we shall quote presently ; suffice it to say at 
present that the days referred to are the days when Israel 
and Judah shall dwell in peace and safety under his reign: 
and the days spoken of in Psalm J2, are the same. 

In Isaiah 9:6-7, we have a beautiful prophecy of the 
coming Christ, only a portion of which has yet been ful- 
filled :— 

"Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given : and the 
government shall be upon his shoulder : and his name shall 
be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The Ever- 
lasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his 
government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne 
of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it 
with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. 
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." 

No one will doubt that the first part of the prophecy is 
to be taken literally; the child has been born; the son has 
been given: and if the first part is literal, why should not 
the second part be literal also? By the rejection of Christ 
by the Jews he was prevented from occupying the throne 
of David; and therefore he has yet to do so, if this Scrip- 
ture is to be fulfilled ; and that must be at his second coming. 
This is further confirmed by the prophecy in the eleventh 
chapter; a portion of which I have already quoted when 
speaking of the "Golden Age;" but what I wish to notice 
now is, that the wonderful state of peace and happiness for 
the world, there spoken of, is to be brought about by the 
beneficent reign of the Branch that shall grow out of the 
root of the stem of Jesse. See verses 1-5 : — 



CHRIST'S PERSONAL REIGN 151 

"And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, 
and a Branch shall grow out of his roots : and the spirit of the 
Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understand- 
ing, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge 
and of the fear of the Lord; and shall make him of quick 
understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge 
after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of 
his ears: but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and re- 
prove with equity for the meek of the earth : and he shall smite 
the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his 
lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the 
girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins." 

Again in the tenth verse, we read: — 

"And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall 
stand for an ensign of the people." 

And when that day is, is clearly stated: — 

"In that day the Lord shall set his hand again the second time 
to recover the remnant of his people. * * * * And he shall 
assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dis- 
persed of Judah from the four corners of the earth." V. 11-12. 

Still further in 16:5, we read: — 

"And in mercy shall the throne be established : and he shall 
sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and 
seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness." 

No one will doubt for a moment that he who is to sit 
upon the throne is Christ the son of David. Again, 24 :23 : — 

"Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, 
when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in 
Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously." 

No one can read the preceding part of this chapter, and 
not see that it is a prophecy of the end of the present age, a 



152 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

time of awful judgment, to be followed by the reign of 
Christ, as stated in the verse I have quoted. 

We pass on now to the prophecies of Jeremiah, taking 
only one, and that is the one I referred to when speaking of 
the 72nd Psalm: — 

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise 
unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and 
prosper, and shall execute justice and judgment in the earth. 
In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely : 
and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord our 
righteousness/'' Jer. 23:5-6. 

In this passage we have a repetition of the prophecy of 
Isaiah concerning the branch, only here it is the branch 
of David, and he is a "King who shall reign and prosper, and 
shall execute justice and judgment in the earth." The time 
also when this king is to reign is given us, "In his days," 
the days of his reign, "Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall 
dwell safely." The final return of the children of Israel 
will then have been accomplished. This passage, it seems 
to me is so plain, so definite, that it is sufficient to build this 
great truth upon, if there was not another in the whole 
Bible; and yet it is only one of many. 

We now turn to Ezekiel, and the first quotation we give 
is a very remarkable one: — 

"And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is 
come, when iniquity shall have an end, Thus saith the Lord 
God ; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown : this shall 
not be the same : exalt him that is low, and abase him that is 
high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn it : and it shall be no 
more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him." 
Ezekiel 21 125-27. 

The profane and wicked prince was Zedekiah, who was 
dethroned by Nebuchadnezzar, and taken to Babylon in 



CHRIST'S PERSONAL RBIGN 153 

chains; thus, he that was high was abased: and Jeconiah, 
who preceded him and was already a prisoner at Babylon, 
he being low was released and exalted, but not to the throne. 
Zedekiah had the diadem and crown taken from him, and 
the kingdom was never the same. The thrice repeated 
statement of its overthrow, signifies how complete that over- 
throw would be. And although some of the Jews returned 
from the Babylonish captivity, there has never been an inde - 
pendent king of Judah since: Zedekiah was the last, and 
the crown is still waiting "till He shall come whose right it 
is, and God will give it to him," even his well beloved Son 
Jesus Christ, the son of David, according to the flesh. 
Our next proof is Ezekiel 37 :22-25 : — 

"I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains 
of Israel ; and one king shall be king to them all : and they 
shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into 
two kingdoms any more at all : neither shall they defile them- 
selves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable 
things, nor with any of their transgressions : but I will save 
them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, 
and will cleanse them : so shall they be my people, and I will 
be their God. And David my servant shall be king over them; 
and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in 
my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And 
they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my 
servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell 
therein, even they, and their children, and their children's 
children, for ever ; and my servant David shall be their prince 
for ever." 

There is no doubt that David here as in some other places, 
is put for David's greater Son. The passage otherwise is so 
plain and decisive that no further comment is necessary. 

We now turn to that wonderful prophecy in Daniel 
7:13-14:— 



154 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

"I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of 
man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient 
of days, and they brought him near before him. And there 
was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all 
people, nations, and languages, should serve him : his dominion 
is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his 
kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." 

Here we see Christ, the Son of man, coming to the 
Ancient of days, his Father, and receiving his kingdom. 
And this is just in accord with Christ's own parable of the 
nobleman going into a far country to receive a kingdom and 
to return. In the next verse we have the extent of the king- 
dom ; universal ; and its duration ; for ever. 

Our next proof is from Zechariah 14:4-5, 9: — 

"And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of 
Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east." ***** 
"And the Lord my God shall come and all the saints with thee." 
***** "And the Lord shall be king over all the earth : 
and in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one." 

Such plain statements as these cannot be explained away. 
There are many more Old Testament Scriptures that might 
be quoted, but I will let these suffice; especially as I have 
a number of proofs quite as clear to bring from the New 
Testament. Take first the angel's message to Mary. Luke 
1 :3Q-33 :— 

"And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast 
found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in 
thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name 
Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the 
Highest : and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne 
of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob 
for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." 



CHRIST'S PERSONAL REIGN 155 

Here is a plain statement, made by the angel Gabriel, who 
was commissioned by God himself to convey this intelligence 
to the mother of our Lord. And it is in exact accord with 
a number of the Old Testament prophecies which I have 
quoted. Surely, if God saw there was a danger of men 
taking these prophecies too literally; now, when the Christ 
was about to be born into the world was the time to correct 
it; but instead of this, it is made, if possible more definite 
than ever. Postmillennialists tell us that Christ is now 
on his throne, and reigning over the house of Jacob: i. e., 
spiritual Israel, and the supposed proof of this is said to be 
found in Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost. That 
Christ's spiritual reign over his Church is a fulfillment of 
the Old Testament prophecies ; and of the plain statement 
of the angel to Mary that Christ "shall sit upon the throne 
of David," and "reign over the house of Jacob," is to me 
inconceivable; because there is no likeness whatever be- 
tween the two things ; and this is strong presumptive evi- 
dence against any interpretation of a passage that would 
make it teach that they are the same, so let us examine this 
portion of Peter's address, and see if it does teach what it 
is said to do. Here is the passage in full. Acts 2 122-36 : — 

"Ye men of Israel, hear these words ; Jesus of Nazareth, a 
man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and 
signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye your- 
selves also know : him being delivered by the determinate coun- 
sel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked 
hands have crucified and slain : whom God hath raised up, 
having loosed the pains of death : because it was not possible 
that he should be holden of it. For David speaketh concerning 
him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on 
my right hand, that I should not be moved : therefore did my 
heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh 
shall rest in hope : because thou wilt not leave my soul in 



156 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 
Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make 
me full of joy with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let 
me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is 
both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this 
day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had 
sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, accord- 
ing to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne ; 
he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that 
his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 
This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having 
received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath 
shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not 
ascended into the heavens : but he saith himself, The Lord said 
unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy 
foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know 
assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye 
have crucified, both Lord and Christ." 

I have read this passage over many times but have failed 
to find what is said to be taught there. Peter was speaking 
of the resurrection of Christ, and shewing that David had 
foretold it in the 16th Psalm: and he then goes on to say, 
that David is "dead and buried," etc., but "being a prophet, 
and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that 
of the fruit of his loins according to the flesh, he would 
raise up Christ to sit on his throne. He seeing this be- 
fore," viz : that Christ would have to be raised to sit on his 
(David's) throne, "spake of the resurrection of Christ." 
And he then goes on with his argument about the resurrec- 
tion ; the question of sitting on David's throne being simply 
brought in to shew the necessity of the resurrection, and 
there is no further allusion to it, not a hint as to when or 
where he was to sit on that throne: but since God has 
sworn with an oath that Christ shall sit on David's throne. 



CHRIST'S PERSONAL RBIGN 157 

he will fulfill it ; but it has not been fulfilled yet ; for Christ 
is not on David's throne, he is not even on his own throne, 
but is seated with his Father on his throne, till the time 
shall come for him to take the kingdom and reign. 

The passage then in Peter's sermon most certainly does 
not prove that the angel's words to Mary are being fulfilled 
in Christ's spiritual reign over the Church: and yet this 
is the passage that is relied upon to overthrow all the plain 
unmistakable passages that state that Christ shall be king 
on the throne of David, and reign over restored Israel and 
Judah. Just as truly as Luke 1 130-31, has been literally 
fulfilled in the birth and naming of Jesus ; so verses 32-33, 
will be literally fulfilled in his sitting upon David's throne, 
and reigning over the house of Jacob. To make the first 
literal, and the other spiritual is wrong on the very face 
of it. 

We now pass on to other New Testament proofs. In 
Matthew 2 :6, we have a quotation from Micah : — 

"And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least 
among the princes of Judah : for out of thee shall come a 
Governor, that shall rule my people Israel." 

Christ has not yet assumed the governorship of Israel, 
so this scripture has yet to be fulfilled. 

Our next proof is from 1 Tim. 6:13-15, I have already 
quoted this passage, but must do so again here on this par- 
ticular point: — 

"I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all 
things, and before Jesus Christ, who before Pontius Pilate 
witnessed a good confession; that thou keep this commandment 
without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord 
Jesus Christ : which in his times he shall shew, who is the 
blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of 
lords." 



158 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

Note particularly the last verse, "who in his own times," 
etc. What times ? Not the present ; for it evidently refers 
to the time of his appearing, or after that event. It cannot 
be after the final judgment ; for those will be the times of 
the Father; so it must be "the days of the Son of man;" 
the times, that will intervene between his appearing, and 
the giving up of the kingdom to the Father ; the times, dur- 
ing which He shall reign, whose right it is ; and by his reign 
as King of kings, prove himself to be the only true Po- 
tentate ; and concerning whom God the Father says : — 

"Thy throne O God is for ever and ever; a sceptre of right- 
eousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom." Heb. 1 :8. 

Here is another very important passage: — 

"For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world 
to come, whereof we speak." Heb. 2 15. 

The word here translated world; means the inhabited 
earth, or the habitable world; and whenever used has the 
same meaning ; but in this case it is the inhabited earth that 
is to come, so that it cannot refer to heaven, nor yet to the 
new earth, because when the latter comes into existence, the 
kingdom will have been given up to the Father, and there- 
fore it must mean the inhabited earth during the reign of 
the Son of man, when all things shall be subject unto him : 
for as the Apostle says, "We see not yet all things put under 
him," indicating that it would be so in the future, as the text 
I have quoted practically states, for if it does not mean that, 
there is no meaning in it. An additional proof of this is 
found in 1 Cor. 15:27-28: — 

"For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith 
all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, 
which did put all things under him. And when all things 



CHRIST'S PERSONAL RBIGN 159 

shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself 
be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God 
may be all in all." 

And this passage taken in connection with the context 
definitely fixes the time, viz: after the resurrection of the 
righteous, and before giving up the kingdom to the Father : 
so that the "world to come" must mean that time also; 
during which Christ shall reign supreme. 

And now lastly we come to the Book of Revelation, from 
which we will take only two or three passages. First, Rev. 
11:15:— 

"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices 
in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the 
kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for 
ever and ever." 

Here John saw in vision the fulfillment of Daniel's proph- 
ecy, 7:13-14, which I have already quoted, as also 2:44, a s 
follows : — 

"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set 
up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed : and the king- 
dom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in 
pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for 
ever." 

There is also Dan. 7 :2J, of similar import. Whatever 
doubt there might be as to when these prophecies of Daniel 
were to be fulfilled, that doubt must surely be removed by 
the above passage in Revelation. 

Later on John saw a vision of Jesus Christ coming forth 
from heaven to overthrow his enemies, and take possession 
of his kingdom. See Rev. 19:11-21. As I have already 
quoted this long passage I will not repeat it; but simply 
say that no one can deny that the rider on the white horse, 



160 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

who is named the "Word of God," "King of kings," and 
"Lord of lords," is Jesus Christ. And when he has de- 
stroyed his earthly foes, we are distinctly told in Rev. 20:1-6 
(which we have already quoted), that the devil will be cast 
into the bottomless pit, and kept there for a thousand years ; 
while Christ and the saints reign over the earth ; the centre 
of authority being Jerusalem the city of God. 

All the efforts of Postmillennialists to overthrow or spir- 
itualize the plain statements of this portion of God's Word 
have utterly failed. There is not only the things which 
John saw in vision, but the plain statements he makes in 
connection therewith ; and in these visions and statements, 
are summed up and explained all the previous proofs of the 
final victory of the God-man Christ Jesus ; and his glorious 
reign over a regenerated world. 



CHAPTER XIV. 
The Reign oe the Saints with Christ. 

The reign of the saints with Christ during the Millennium, 
has necessarily been referred to previously, but only inci- 
dentally; and as it is a subject of very great interest it must 
have a chapter to itself. 

In reading the Word of God we find statements to the 
effect that the saints or righteous shall inherit the earth, the 
land, or the kingdom ; and one naturally wishes to know 
what such statements mean ; for as one of our most eminent 
Australian Ministers once said, when quoting the text: 

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." 
"It does not look much like it at present ; our experience is, 
that the meek generally go to the wall." And that is true. 
The Master himself, the perfectly meek and lowly one, went 
to the cross, and so with multitudes of his followers : but his 
words must come true, and when he comes to inherit the 
earth, as we have shewn he will, then he will bring his 
meek and lowly followers with him to share his inheritance. 
In addition to which, the earthly rulers themselves, all who 
are in authority, will be the followers of Jesus in that day ; 
and in a sense far beyond anything known in the present 
age, the words of the Psalmist will be realized : — 

"The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree : he shall grow 
like a cedar in Lebanon." 

And now let us notice a few of the passages bearing on 
this subject; not forgetting the important Beatitude already 
quoted. In Psalm 37, we have no fewer than five of these 
promises : — 

11 161 



162 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

"Those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth." 

"The meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight them- 
selves in the abundance of peace." 

"For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth." 

"The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for 
ever." 

"Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee 
to inherit the land." 

Here and there in isolated cases these promises are being 
fulfilled to some extent in the present age ; but in the age to 
come it will be universally true. 

Our next quotation is from Daniel 7:18, 21-22: — 

"But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and 
possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever." 

"I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and 
prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and 
judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the 
time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." 

The 27th verse which I have previously quoted is to the 
same effect, but it is so definite on this point that I must 
quote it again : — 

"And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the 
kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people 
of the saints of the most High." 

Nothing can be plainer than that the kingdom which the 
saints are to possess, and over which they are to reign, is 
an earthly kingdom ; for it is "under the whole heaven," i. e., 
it is worldwide in its extent. And if the previous kingdoms 
were temporal or earthly kingdoms, this must surely be 
similar in its character, and not a spiritual kingdom only. 

In Isaiah 32:1, we have this testimony: — 



THE REIGN OP THE SAINTS 163 

"Behold a King shall reign in righteousness, and princes 
shall rule in judgment." 

The saints are so often associated with Christ in his Mil- 
lennial reign that it seems superfluous to say that the King 
here referred to is Christ, and the princes are his saints. 

And now let us see what Christ and the Apostles have to 
say on this matter. And here again we shall have to refer 
to some passages previously quoted in support of some other 
part of our subject. First take Matt. 19:28: — 

"And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye 
which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of 
man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon 
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." 

There are four things proved by this passage : The per- 
sonal reign of Christ on earth, the return of Judah and 
Israel to their own land, the resurrection of the saints, and 
the reign of the Apostles under Christ. With the first three 
we have already dealt, and this text is an additional proof of 
the truth of what I have said on these points : but, in addi- 
tion to this, it gives us a specific case of the rule of the saints 
with Christ in the Millennium. Christ was uttering no par- 
able here, it was a plain straight forward promise to the 
Apostles, for their faithfulness to him during his humilia- 
tion. 

In Matthew 24, Christ, when speaking of his coming 
again, says of the faithful servant: — 

"He will make him ruler over all his goods." 
Again in Luke 22:29-30, Christ says: — 

"I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed 
unto me: that ye may eat and drink at my table in my king- 
dom, and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." 



164 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

Here we notice that it is in Christ's kingdom that this 
reward is to be given. This cannot be the eternal kingdom, 
because as already pointed out, that is God's kingdom. It 
is equally certain that it is not the present spiritual king- 
dom ; for the Apostles never sat on thrones judging Israel 
during their lifetime, and cannot do so during the present 
dispensation ; so there must be an intermediate kingdom ; 
and that is Christ's Millennial kingdom, in which these won- 
derful promises shall be fulfilled. 

In Luke 19, we have the parable of the nobleman who 
went into a far country to receive a kingdom. On his return 
to set up the kingdom, he rewarded his faithful servants ac- 
cording to their works ; to one he gave authority over ten 
cities, to another he gave authority over five cities. This is 
surely another clear proof that Christ is coming to set up 
his kingdom, and give unto his faithful servants rule and 
authority in that kingdom. 

It seems to me that Christ's own plain statements are quite 
sufficient to convince any unprejudiced mind that the saints 
will reign with Christ over the earth. But we have still 
further evidence from the Apostle Paul. Some of the pas- 
sages have already been quoted in connection with another 
part of our subject, but must be repeated here: — 

"Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and 
if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge 
the smallest matters ?" 1 Cor. 6 :2. 

That this cannot refer to the judgment of quick and dead 
is certain; for that is Christ's prerogative; so that it must 
refer to sitting on the judgment seat when the saints rule 
the world. 

In writing to Timothy, Paul says : — 

"If we suffer, we shall also reign with him." 2 Tim. 2:12. 



THE RBIGN OF THE SAINTS 165 

Where shall we reign with him? In his kingdom, as he 
himself has promised. 

And now let us turn to the Book of Revelation, where we 
have Christ's own testimony again. In his epistle to the 
Church at Thyatira, he says : — 

"He that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, 
to him will I give power over the nations : and he shall rule 
them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they 
be broken to shivers : even as I received of my Father." Rev. 
2 : 26-27. 

In the second Psalm we find these same words used in 
reference to Christ; which proves that Christ will do this 
work through his servants ; and indicates that during the 
Millennium, every attempt at rebellion will be crushed im- 
mediately. It is scarcely necessary for me to say that this 
promise of Christ cannot possibly be fulfilled in the present 
time; for it is made unto those who are faithful unto the 
end. 

Another promise made to the Church at Laodicea, bears 
directly on this point : — 

"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my 
throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my 
Father in his throne." Rev. 3 :2i. 

Why should they sit with him on his throne unless they 
are to be assessors with him in the rule of the nations? 

The conclusion of the song of the four beasts and the 
four and twenty elders, as given in the fifth chapter of 
Revelation is : — 

"And hast made us unto our God kings and priests : and we 
shall reign on the earth." 

When shall they reign? Not during this dispensation, 
for those who are to reign, are those who have been "re- 



166 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

deemed out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and 
nation." And yet, after this, they are to reign on the earth, 
which must be during the Millennium. 

Lastly, we come again to that wonderful twentieth chapter 
of the Book of Revelation, where we find all that we have 
given from other parts of Scripture fully substantiated : — 

"They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." Rev. 
20:4. 

"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrec- 
tion; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall 
be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a 
thousand years." Rev. 20 :6. 

From these clear testimonials of David, Daniel, Paul, 
John, and the Master, I am convinced that the risen and 
translated saints, shall come with Christ when he appears 
to set up his throne and kingdom upon a renewed earth; 
and under him, during a thousand years of peace and pros- 
perity, such as we have never dreamed of ; they shall reign 
over the nations of earth. 

I know a good deal has been said about the absurdity of 
supposing that spiritual beings would live on earth, and rule 
over men in the flesh, etc. But I would remind all who 
talk thus that the "wisdom of this world is foolishness with 
God." And for them to put down as an absurdity, what 
God has declared shall come to pass is a proof of their folly. 
Was there anything absurd about Christ mingling with his 
disciples, eating with them, and giving them various instruc- 
tions, etc., during the forty days after his resurrection? I 
do not think so; and what was done by the risen Christ for 
forty days, can be done just as easily by him and his saints 
for a Millennium: and since God's word declares it, it must 
be so : "For the Word of the Lord abideth for ever." 



CHAPTER XV. 

The Last Revolt. 

Under the reign of the King of kings, the world will have 
enjoyed its Sabbath rest. The "Golden Age" so long looked 
for, will have been realized: the war drum, or the clash of 
arms, will not have been heard for a thousand years, for: 

"The beam that shines from Zion's hill 

Shall lighten every land; 
The King who reigns in Salem's towers 

Shall all the world command. 

Among the nations He shall judge; 

His judgments truth shall guide ; 
His sceptre shall protect the just, 

And quell the sinner's pride. 

No strife shall rage, nor hostile feuds 

Disturb those peaceful years ; 
To ploughshares men shall beat their swords, 

To pruning hooks their spears. 

No longer hosts encountering hosts, 

Shall crowds of slain deplore; 
They hang their trumpet in the hall, 

And study war no more." 

— Methodist Hymn Book 221. 

But while there will be universal outward obedience, there 
will be some who, in the course of years will allow their 
evil nature, inwardly at least, to rebel against the authority 

167 



168 THE GOLDEN AGE OP THE WORLD 

of Christ and his saints ; and who will only need some 
leader to induce them to break out in open revolt: and at 
the end of the thousand years, that the evil may be made 
manifest, and then be destroyed for ever ; the devil and his 
angels will be allowed to go forth and tempt the people once 
more ; probably raising up some visible head, as in the case 
of Antichrist ; and under his leadership they will come from 
all parts of the world to attack the seat of government, the 
holy city Jerusalem. Their numbers will be very great ; but 
still few compared with the vast millions of the world's 
population at that time. True, it says, "the number of them 
is as the sand of the sea :" but that is a common expression 
for a great multitude. See Judges 7:12; 1 Sam. 13:5; 1 
Kings 4:20; Jer. 15:8. Probably every rebel at heart will 
be in that company ; but there will be no fighting ; for as soon 
as they are assembled to make the attack, fire will descend 
from heaven and consume them. And thus will end for 
ever, man's rebellion against his Creator. 

The account of this revolt, and its consequences is given in 
Rev. 20:7-10: 

"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be 
loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations 
which are in the four quarters of the earth. Gog and Magog 
to gather them together to battle : the number of whom is as 
the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the 
earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the 
beloved city : and fire came down from God out of heaven, and 
devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast 
into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the 
false prophet are, and they shall be tormented day and night 
for ever." 

How long this revolt will take to work up it is impos- 
sible to say. The text says, "a little season," so it cannot 



THE LAST REVOLT 169 

be very long. Postmillennial writers, who regard all this 
as figurative; and teach that it means a great spiritual de- 
cline, after a time of unparalleled spiritual prosperity; say, 
it may take two or three hundred years ; and arguing against 
the literal interpretation, they ridicule it by saying, What a 
lamentable ending to Christ's reign ! a worldwide revolt ! 
But do they not see that it would be just as lamentable to 
have a long spiritual decline, after the world had been 
evangelized? But as to the time, it is quite possible that 
the whole event will be over within the space of a single 
year. 

It has been suggested by one writer, that probably ad- 
vantage will be taken of some great feast or festival of 
some kind in the holy city ; and the rebels will come up from 
the various parts of the world, ostensibly, to worship, but 
with the intention, when all are assembled, of attacking the 
city: and the first that anyone else may know about it will 
be when they prepare for the attack. I think there is a 
great deal of reason in this; for if they started the revolt 
openly in different parts of the world, the authorities would 
crush it at once: but they may in their blindness think that 
if they met as here supposed ; it would be an easy thing to 
take the city; and once in possession of the seat of govern- 
ment, they might be able to rule the world. Certainly this 
idea seems to be borne out by the text, for there is no hint 
of any open revolt elsewhere : true, it says, "they went up 
over the breadth of the earth," but the word earth may be 
translated land, and in all probability it means the land of 
Israel, in contrast with "the camp of the saints/' "the be- 
loved city," which they surrounded, but were not permitted 
to enter because of their sudden destruction. 



170 THE GOLDEN AGE OP THE WORLD 

Some have spoken of this revolt as an abrupt termination 
of Christ's reign. How absurd. Christ's reign is not inter- 
rupted for a single hour. While the revolt is being or- 
ganized in secret, he will know all about it ; for nothing can 
be hidden from his all seeing eye; and when it is ready 
for execution, he will end it by supernatural means : and the 
destruction of the rebels, and the casting of the devil and his 
angels into the lake of fire, will prepare the way for the 
final judgment, and the eternal state. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

The Final Judgment. 

Here is the grand description of this great event, as given 
by St. John : — 

"And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, 
from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and 
there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small 
and great, stand before God ; and the books were opened : and 
another book was opened, which is the book of life : and the 
dead were judged out of those things which were written in 
the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the 
dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the 
dead which were in them: and they were judged every man 
according to his works. And death and hell were cast into 
the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever 
was not found written in the book of life was cast into the 
lake of fire." Rev. 20:11-15. 

There are several things here that claim our attention. 
First, The person of the Judge. Second, The place of judg- 
ment. Third, The persons to be judged. Fourth, The re- 
sults of the judgment. We take them in order. First, The 
person of the Judge. It has been thought by some that be- 
cause it says in verse 12, "I saw the dead, small and great, 
stand before God;" that the Judge is God the Father: but 
this we are convinced is not correct; and for the very good 
reason that Christ says in John 5 :22, 27 : — 

"The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judg- 
ment unto the Son." 

"And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, 
because he is the Son of man." 

171 



172 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

This I think is conclusive ; so we need not argue the mat- 
ter further. 

Second, The place of judgment. At the appearance of the 
Judge on the great white throne, the earth and the heavens 
are said to flee away; but if so, the judgment cannot take 
place on the earth, but in some other place, possibly in the 
heavenlies, where the first judgment of the righteous takes 
place : but it may be that the destruction of the heavens and 
the earth does not take place till after the judgment; for 
after John speaks of the earth and the heavens fleeing away, 
he goes on to speak of the sea giving up its dead, etc., 
which of course must take place before the earth is de- 
stroyed; so that I think it is highly probable that the judg- 
ment will take place on the earth ; but we cannot dogmatize 
on the matter ; and after all, it is a matter of small import- 
ance as to where the judgment will be carried out. 

Third, Who are they that will be judged at this time? It 
will be noticed that only the dead are mentioned in the text : 
and some assume that this is a judgment of the wicked dead 
only; those who were left in their graves when the first 
resurrection took place: and they say the production of the 
book of life is simply to shew that their names are not 
written therein. But such writers seem to overlook the 
fact that some will die during the Millennium, both righteous 
and wicked ; for while probably there will be very little sick- 
ness, there will doubtless be accidents both by sea and by 
land ; so that though the death rate will be very small, they 
will not have arrived at the time when "There shall be no 
more death." 

In addition to this they make no provision for the judg- 
ment of the vast population of the world at the end of the 
Millennium; so that theory must be discarded. Postmillen- 
nialists say that this is the judgment of the whole human 



THE FINAL JUDGMENT 173 

race, the living and the dead ; the righteous and the wicked ; 
but this we cannot accept, because, as we have already 
shewn, the Scriptures teach that there will be a first resur- 
rection of the righteous, a thousand years before; and hav- 
ing been judged and rewarded according to their works, 
they cannot come into this judgment. Seeing then that "every 
one must give account of himself to God;" this final judg- 
ment must include all who will be left in their graves after 
the first resurrection ; all who will die during the great tribu- 
lation, and are not raised again at the coming of Christ to 
the earth ; all who will be destroyed at Christ's judgment of 
the nations ; all who die during the Millennium, including 
those who take part in the last revolt, and are destroyed by 
fire from heaven ; and all who are alive at the time of the 
judgment. In one word, it is the judgment of the world, 
minus, the Church of Christ. 

Lastly, The results of the Judgment. The righteous will 
doubtless be taken by Christ into heaven, and presented to 
the Father, as the final result of his redemptive work : while 
those whose names are not found in the book of life, will 
be cast into the lake of fire, where the devil and his angels, 
the beast, and the false prophet have previously gone: and 
here they will be punished according to their sins, each one 
reaping the harvest of his own sowing. 

As to the duration of the punishment, I confess that 
despite all that has been said and written against eternal 
punishment, especially of late years ; I cannot, with the 
Word of God in my hands, believe anything else. The 
punishment of the unsaved, whatever that punishment may 
be, for it will be varied according to their deserts, will be as 
unceasing as the reward of the righteous ; for the same 
terms are used as to the continuance of the bliss of one, 
and to the misery of the other, and those terms are "eternal," 



174 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

"everlasting," "for ever and ever." I might quote any num- 
ber of passages in proof of what I have said, but I do not 
think it is necessary ; no one denies that there are such pas- 
sages ; but they try to whittle down their meaning, when 
applied to the punishment of the wicked ; though they never 
do so in reference to the reward of the righteous ; which 
shews their inconsistency. There are other arguments that 
might be brought forward, but it would be away from the 
purpose of the book to argue the question at length. But 
I must add that all the arguments against eternal punish- 
ment grounded upon our finite ideas of what is just and 
equal, are beside the mark entirely. Who is man that he 
should judge God? To me it is the most awful presumption 
for a man to say that the plain words of Christ and the 
Apostles are not literally true, because he thinks it would 
be unjust to punish a man for ever, for sins committed in 
this life. The fact is God alone knows the real nature of 
sin: He alone understands the greatness of the sacrifice 
made in order to save man from sin, and its consequences : 
and, He alone knows the punishment that is justly due to 
the man who rejects that sacrifice. I prefer to take the 
Word of God as it stands, and like the Apostle, "knowing 
the terror of the Lord," persuade men to be "reconciled to 
God," ere it is for ever too late. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

The: New Heaven and Earth. 

It only remains, before summing up, for us to say some- 
thing of the future home of the righteous : The new heaven 
and the new earth. The Apostle Peter gives a very vivid 
description of the destruction of the present heaven and 
earth; declaring that: — 

"The heavens being on fire shall be dissolved; the elements 
shall melt with fervent heat : the earth also and the works that 
are therein shall be burned up." 2 Peter 3 :io. 

And by the omnipotent power of Him who first spoke the 
world into being; there will arise a new heaven and a new 
earth, that shall never be destroyed ; because into it sin will 
never enter: and down from heaven into that new earth 
will descend "the city which hath foundations; whose 
builder and maker is God." Let us read once more John's 
description of that glorious city : — 

"And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high 
mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, 
descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God : 
and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like 
a jasper stone, clear as crystal; and had a wall great and high, 
and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and 
names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve 
tribes of the children of Israel : on the east three gates ; on the 
north three gates ; on the south three gates ; and on the west 
three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, 
and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 
And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the 
city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city 

175 



176 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

lieth four-square, and the length is as large as the breadth : and 
he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. 
The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. 
And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and 
four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the 
angel. And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and 
the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the founda- 
tion of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of 
precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, 
sapphire ; the third, a chalcedony ; the fourth, an emerald ; the 
fifth, sardonyx ; the sixth, sardius ; the seventh, chrysolyte ; the 
eighth, beryl ; the ninth, a topaz ; the tenth, a chrysoprasus ; the 
eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve 
gates were twelve pearls ; every several gate was of one pearl : 
and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent 
glass. And I saw no temple therein : for the Lord God Al- 
mighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had 
no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for 
the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light 
thereof. ***** And he shewed me a pure river of 
water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of 
God and of the Lamb, in the midst of the street of it. And on 
either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare 
twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month : and 
the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And 
there shall be no more curse : but the throne of God and of the 
Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him. And 
they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their fore- 
heads. And there shall be no night there ; and they need no 
candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them 
light: and they shall reign for ever and ever." Rev. 21:10-23; 
22:1-5. 

I shall not attempt to give an exposition of this beautiful 
portion of the sacred book ; but there are a few things in it 
that deserve consideration; and, if possible, explanation. 
In John's opening words concerning the new heaven and 
earth, he adds these words, "for the first heaven and the 
first earth were passed away." 



THE NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH 177 

What do these words mean? Does it mean that they 
will cease to exist? or that they will simply be purified and 
made new? 

Before we attempt to answer that, however, we must con- 
sider another matter, viz: What are we to understand by 
the word heaven, or heavens? for Peter uses the plural, 
and John the singular. Does it mean the air, the atmosphere 
by which our world is surrounded? or does it include the 
heavenly bodies ? Turning to Genesis 1 :6-8, we read : — 

"And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the 
waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God 
made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under 
the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament : 
and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven." 

From this it would seem as if the word firmament or 
heaven, was restricted to the space between the earth and 
the clouds: but when we turn to verses 14-18, we find that 
it includes much more than this. Here is the text: — 

"And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the 
heaven to divide the day from the night ; and let them be for 
signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years : and let them 
be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon 
the earth : and it was so. And God made two great lights ; the 
greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the 
night : he made the stars also. And God set them in the firma- 
ment of the heaven, to give light upon the earth, and to rule over 
the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the dark- 
ness : and God saw that it was good." 

From this it is evident that the space occupied by our 
Solar system at least, is included in the word firmament or 
heaven. We need not infer from the brief statement, — 
"he made the stars also," that they were set in the firmament. 
As a matter of fact, the writer only refers to the sun and 
12 



178 THE GOLDEN AGB OP THE WORLD 

moon; the two great lights of the earth, as being set in the 
firmament; but we know if the sun is there, the planets 
must be there also. These all sustain some relationship to 
the earth, which the stars do not ; and in the destruction of 
the earth, and the dissolving of the heavens by fire, it seems 
scarcely likely that the sun, moon, and planets should escape : 
they will have served their purpose, so far as the earth is 
concerned ; and may pass away in the great conflagration. 
But while I think this is highly probable, the evidence is 
not sufficiently clear to put the matter beyond doubt. 

And now, in reference to the earth; Will it be purified 
by fire, and then become the new earth ? or, Will it be literally 
destroyed, and a new earth created for the abode of the 
righteous? I believe from what I have heard and read, 
that the first theory is the most prevalent : but, Do the 
Scriptures sustain that idea? I think not; but there is 
ample proof that the present heaven and earth will be 
utterly destroyed; and a new heaven and new earth be 
created. First, we will take a few passages from the Old 
Testament. Psalm 102:25-26: — 

"Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the 
heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but 
thou shalt endure : yea, all of them shall wax old like a gar- 
ment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be 
changed." 

Here it is definitely stated that they shall perish ; also, that 
they shall wax old like a garment, and be changed. How 
do we change garments when they become old ? We change 
them for new ; we may patch them for awhile, but we can- 
not make them new ; and eventually they have to go to the 
fire, and new ones take their place. Read also Isaiah 51 :6 : — 



THE NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH 179 

"Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth 
beneath : for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the 
earth shall wax old like a garment." 

Again, Isaiah 65:17: — 

"Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth : and the 
former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind." 

No words can be more definite than these. The present 
heavens are to vanish away like smoke, new heavens and 
new earth are to be created, and the old to be completely 
forgotten. 

The New Testament bears the same testimony. In Mat- 
thew 24 :35, and in the parallel passages in Mark and Luke, 
we have our Lord's own statement: — 

"Heaven and earth shall pass away." 

In Heb. 1 : 10-12, the Apostle confirms the statement of the 
Psalmist, which we have already given from Psalm 
102 125-26. 

Now we come to Peter's well known statements concern- 
ing the present heaven and earth; and also the future. I 
have already quoted them in part, but will now give the 
whole text : — 

"The heavens and the earth, which are now, by the word of 
God are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of 
judgment and perdition of ungodly men. The heavens shall 
pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with 
fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein 
shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be 
dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy 
conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the 
coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire 



180 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent 
heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new 
heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." 2 
Peter 37, 10-13. 

When the Apostle uses such words as to "melt," "dis- 
solve," and to be "burned up," we cannot think he means 
anything less than utter destruction. There is one statement 
that is a little perplexing, and it is repeated twice over. "The 
elements shall melt with fervent heat." In the margin of 
the revised version, it reads, "the heavenly bodies," etc., but 
on what authority we do not know. The original word is 
correctly translated elements, meaning the component parts 
of which anything is composed or made, and read with that 
meaning as doubtless it should be, it adds increased force 
to the idea of utter destruction, for, if the very elements of 
which the heavens and earth are composed, melt with the 
intense heat of the conflagration, the heavens and the earth 
as such must cease to be. And then in the last verse the 
Apostle declares there is to be "new heavens and a new 
earth." There is no hint of renovation or purification; but 
a new creation. Now read Rev. 20:11 : — 

"And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, 
from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there 
was found no place for them." 

Here it is stated not only that they flee away; but that 
no other place was found for them. They vanished in 
smoke, and ceased to exist ; and therefore there must be 
a perfectly new heaven and earth: and this as we have al- 
ready seen will be provided; for John saw a new heaven 
and a new earth; and adds, "The first heaven and the first 
earth were passed away," thus confirming all the other 
proofs that I have brought forward. In what part of God's 



THE NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH 181 

universe that new heaven and earth will be, who can say? 
I may just remark here that the creation of a new earth does 
away with the difficulty that some have raised, that this 
world will not be large enough to contain the vast number 
of the saved of all generations. In creating a new world, 
God will make it large enough to contain all his children ; 
and probably place it in close proximity to the highest 
heaven, in which he now dwells ; and where Christ is seated 
at his right hand. 

It will be noticed that John gives us no description of the 
new earth ; in fact, there is only one direct reference to it, 
but that is very important, it is this, "And there was no more 
sea." The sea occupies about three-fourths of the surface 
of the globe; and plays a very important part in the service 
of the world. The new earth will be so constituted as to 
have no need or use for the sea; hence, there will be none. 
There may be rivers, however, as there were in Eden. John 
tells us of one river flowing through the city; and as it 
would hardly be likely to remain within the city walls, we 
can easily imagine it flowing out into the new earth and 
dividing itself into numerous streams, and supplying the 
whole earth, which will then be a Paradise indeed. I will 
not attempt to picture in my own words what I think the 
new earth will be like; but I think Milton's picture of the 
first Eden, might well be taken as a vision of the future 
new earth: and it may not be out of place to introduce it 
here : — 

"Southward through Eden went a river large, 
Nor changed his course, but through the shaggy hill 
Passed underneath ingulfed; for God had thrown 
That mountain as his garden mould high raised 
Upon the rapid current, which through veins 
Of porous earth with kindly thirst updrawn, 



182 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

Rose a fresh fountain, and with many a rill 

Watered the garden ; thence united fell 

Down the steep glade, and met the nether flood, 

Which from his darksome passage now appears, 

And now divided into four main streams, 

Runs diverse, wandering many a famous realm 

And country, whereof here needs no account; 

But rather to tell how, if art could tell, 

How from that sapphire fount the crisped brooks, 

Rolling on orient pearl and sands of gold, 

With mazy error under pendant shades 

Ran nectar, visiting each plant, and fed 

Flowers , worthy of Paradise, which not nice art 

In beds and curious knots, but nature boon 

Poured forth profuse on hill, and dale, and plain; 

thus was this place 

A happy rural seat of various view ; 

Groves whose rich trees wept odorous gums and balm ; 

Others whose fruit, burnished with golden rind, 

Hung amiable, Hesperian fables true, 

If true, here only, and of delicious taste : 

Betwixt them lawns, or level downs, and flocks 

Grazing the tender herb, were interposed, 

Or palmy hillocks ; or the flowery lap 

Of some irriguous valley spread her store, 

Flowers of all hue, and without thorn the rose : 

Another side, umbrageous grots and caves 

Of cool recess, o'er which the mantling vine 

Lays forth her purple grape, and gently creeps 

Luxuriant; meanwhile murmuring waters fall 

Down the slope hills, dispersed, or in a lake, 

That to the fringed bank with myrtle crowned 

Her crystal mirror holds, unite their streams. 

The birds their choir apply; airs, vernal airs. 

Breathing the smell of field and grove, attune 

The trembling leaves, while universal Pan 

Knit with the Graces and the Hours in dance, 

Led on the eternal Spring." 



THE NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH 183 

All this, and far more than this, we shall find, when we 
take up our abode in the new earth. While, however, the 
Apostle gives us no description of the new earth, he does 
give us a most minute description of its capital city, the 
New Jerusalem; which he saw coming down out of heaven, 
ready built. The grandest, the most stupendous, the most 
glorious city that it is possible for the mind of man to 
imagine : a city worthy of the Architect and Builder who 
is God himself. Here is the city that Abraham was looking 
for, "A city which hath foundations, whose builder and 
maker is God." A city that the Apostle dreamed of, when 
he said, "Here we have no continuing city ; but we seek one 
to come." It is the place that Jesus said he was going away 
to prepare for his followers. And now, one of those to 
whom he spoke, the beloved disciple, sees in a vision the 
place prepared, and gives us a description of it, so that our 
hearts may be cheered by the contemplation of the glorious 
home to which we are going. 

There are two or three things about this city to which 
we wish to draw attention. First, Its immense size ; twelve 
thousand furlongs square, i. e., fifteen hundred miles, or six 
thousand miles in circumference. A city of such a size al- 
most surpasses our imagination; we compare with it, the 
greatest cities of the world today, and it is like com- 
paring ant hills with a mountain : we think of that mighty 
city of old, of which the king said, "Is not this great Baby- 
lon that I have built ?" And it was indeed a great city ; and 
yet, if the New Jerusalem were a flat city, you could put ten 
thousand cities like Babylon within its boundaries. But it 
is not a flat city; "The length and the breadth, and the 
height of it are equal." It is astonishing how some writers 
on the book of Revelation have stumbled over this simple 
statement; and the various ways in which they try to get 



184 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

over the supposed difficulty are simply astonishing; but 
the difficulty is entirely of their own making; and arises 
from the supposition that the city as here described repre- 
sents a perfect cube; which does not necessarily follow. It 
seems strange that with the pyramids for an illustration, or 
object lesson, they did not think of a pyramidal city. A city 
in the form of a cube would be a monstrosity, especially 
with a wall about two hundred and fifty feet high surround- 
ing its base; the thing is too absurd to be thought of for a 
moment; but can anyone imagine anything more grand, 
more worthy of a God, than a pyramidal city of these huge 
dimensions? And let us remember that being shaped thus, 
it would more than double its square miles of surface. That 
this is the plan of the city will be evident I think to all 
from one or two other particulars about the city to which 
I must now draw your attention. We have often heard and 
read of the golden streets of the New Jerusalem; but there 
is only one street in the whole of the city. In Rev. 21 :2i, 
we read, "And the street of the city was pure gold," etc. 
You will notice it is street, not streets : and in Rev. 22 .2, 
you again read of the street of the city. There are gates, 
walls, etc., but only one street, starting from the apex of 
the pyramid, and with a very gradual fall encircling it again 
and again ten thousand times if necessary till it reaches the 
bottom where it sweeps round the whole base of the pyra- 
mid, inside the jasper walls. For human beings it would 
be necessary to have cross streets; but it would spoil the 
beauty of it ; and in this celestial city no such need would 
exist. 

Another very important feature in this city is the river. 
I will repeat the statement concerning it: — 



THE NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH 185 

"And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as 
crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, 
in the midst of the street of it. And on either side of the river, 
was there the tree of life." Rev. 22:1-2. 

In the authorized version, the division of the first and 
second verses, and the use of the full stop instead of a 
comma after the word Lamb, has destroyed the meaning 
of the passage. How could it be possible for the tree of life 
to be in the midst of the street, and at the same time, on 
each side of the river ? The revisers evidently saw the mis- 
take, and altered it, so that it reads as I have given it here. 
Now, Can anyone imagine anything more beautiful than 
this? At the apex of the great pyramidal city stands the 
throne of God and of the Lamb ; its glory streaming down 
all sides of the city, and lighting the whole earth beyond: 
from the steps of the throne starts the golden street of the 
city; and from beneath the throne there issues a beautiful 
river, running in the midst of the street thus separating it 
into two parts ; and flowing on through all the thousands of 
miles of the length of that street till it flows out into the 
new earth, watering it everywhere : for, having its source 
beneath God's throne it will be inexhaustible. "The river 
of God is full of water." And to this river the words of 
the Psalmist are far more appropriate than to any water 
supply of old Jerusalem: — 

"There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the 
city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most high." 
Psalm 46:4. 

On either side of the river grows the tree of life. There 
was one tree of life in the old Paradise; but in the new it 
will be multiplied by thousands all along the banks of this 
wonderful river ; and it bears twelve different kinds of fruit ; 



186 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

and ripens its fruit every month. And the inhabitants shall 
eat of that fruit, and drink of that river, and live for ever. 

Such is the Plan of the New Jerusalem, the Capital of the 
new earth ; as revealed in the Word of God : and the concep- 
tion of anything so grand never entered into the mind of 
man. 

Of the gates of pearl, the wall of jasper, the foundations 
of precious stones, I need not speak, except to say that they 
all speak of wealth, of beauty, of purity, of glory beyond 
compare. 

A friend of mine, after hearing me preach on this sub- 
ject said, "Do you believe it is a real city?" I replied by 
asking, "Do you believe there is to be a new earth?" To 
which my friend replied, "Yes, of course, the Bible says 
so." "And does it not say just as plainly there shall be this 
city?" I replied. There is no reason why one should not 
be as real as the other. I do not pretend to say whether the 
gates are really pearls, the street gold, the walls jasper, etc. ; 
there may be things more glorious than any or all of these, 
and God may have shewn these things to John because his 
finite nature and ours could not understand anything better ; 
but I for one am quite willing to wait for the reality; and 
in the meantime feast my soul on what God has seen fit to 
reveal concerning my eternal home: — 

"Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have 
the right to come to the tree of life, and may enter in by the 
gates into the city." Rev. 22:14, R. V. 



SUMMARY. 

In conclusion, let us sum up briefly the wonderful events 
of which we have been writing; and which I believe will 
shortly come to pass. 

The first in order probably, will be the return of Israel 
and Judah to their own land. The Jews are already gather- 
ing there ; slowly it may be, but surely. There are far more 
Jews in Palestine to day, than returned from the Babylonian 
captivity. The one thing doubtless that hinders multitudes 
more from returning is the rule, or misrule of the Turk: 
but the power of Turkey in Europe is already broken, and 
it may be broken in Asia very soon; and when that takes 
place, there is no doubt the Jew will come into his own ; 
tens of thousands will hasten there from all parts of the 
world; the Jewish temple, for the erection of which I be- 
lieve funds are already accumulating, will take the place of 
the Turkish Mosque, and their sacrificial services will be 
re-established. The opening up of the way for the Jews' 
return will probably be accomplished by a great war; the 
greatest the world has ever known : I do not say a European 
war, for other than European nations will probably take part 
in it.* In consequence of that war great changes will take 
place among the nations ; one of which will be the rise of a 



*Since writing the above the great war has broken out, and is still 
being carried on. Turkey has thrown in her lot with Germany and 
Austria, and, as one of the British Ministers of State said, — "in 
so doing, she has signed her death warrant." Palestine, in all 
probability, will be taken out of her hands by Britain; and the 
Jews be invited to return and occupy their own land once more. 

— /. S. A. 

187 



188 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

mighty kingdom, over which the Antichrist will reign; the 
throne of his kingdom being in Babylon which will be 
rebuilt. 

The next event in order will be the coming of Christ 
into the heavenlies : then the resurrection of the dead saints, 
the changing of the living righteous ; and their united trans- 
lation to where Christ is; where they will be judged accord- 
ing to their works ; after which Christ will present them to 
his Father in heaven. 

In the meantime great consternation will have been caused 
on earth by the removal of the righteous; many being led 
to repentance and salvation. On the other hand, the world 
being deprived of the restraining influence of the good, 
the great majority of the people will sink deeper and deeper 
into sin, thus bringing down God's judgments upon them, as 
described in the Book of Revelation especially in chapters 
6, 8 and 9. 

The Antichrist seeing that, notwithstanding the corruption 
of the world, over which he desires to reign supreme, there 
are yet increasing numbers who fear God and work right- 
eousness ; beside the Jews assembled in their own land ; he, 
like Nebuchadnezzar of old, will have an image erected, and 
by the aid of a false prophet, possessed of demoniacal pow- 
ers, the image will be made to speak, and many miracles 
will be wrought in the sight of the people. A law will be 
made making it a capital offence not to worship the image, 
and multitudes of Jews and Christians will be put to death ; 
in fact it will be the fiercest persecution the world has ever 
known: and this, with God's awful judgments upon the 
world, will constitute the great tribulation of which Christ 
warned his disciples. Finally, the Antichrist in his rage 
will gather his vassal kings with their armies, and go up 
against Jerusalem, and the city will be taken: multitudes 



SUMMARY 189 

will be killed, and others will be taken captive ; but when at 
the height of his success ; the Lord will appear with his 
saints and angels : Antichrist and the false prophet will be 
taken, and cast into the lake of fire ; the devil will be bound 
and shut up, and there will be an awful slaughter of the 
nations ; and Christ will show himself to be the great and 
only Potentate. The Jews recognizing him as the one whom 
their fathers crucified, will repent and be saved. The 
martyrs of the great tribulation will be raised and join the 
Church of the first born whom Christ has brought with him. 
The Millennial kingdom will then be set up ; and all na- 
tions, and tongues, and peoples, will submit themselves unto 
Christ. Universal peace will prevail, both among men, and 
the lower animal creation : and Christ and his saints will rule 
the world. It does not necessarily follow that Christ or the 
saints will be continually resident on the earth: their resi- 
dence may principally be in heaven for aught we know; 
but doubtless if so, there will be direct and frequent com- 
munication between them and the earth: and the heavenly 
saints may rule to a large extent through their earthly rep- 
resentatives. But these are matters upon which we have 
no revelation ; and with so much revealed on the more im- 
portant points, we can well afford to wait till the time comes 
for the solution of these minor matters. The Golden Age 
of the world will have come, and 

"Jesus shall reign where'er the sun 
Doth his successive journeys run; 
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore, 
Till suns shall rise and set no more." 

For one thousand years the world shall enjoy its Sab- 
bath rest. 

At the close of the Millennium, Satan will be loosed out 



190 THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE WORLD 

of his prison; and will go throughout the world constrain- 
ing those who have given only a formal allegiance to Christ, 
to revolt ; he will probably raise up some visible leader, who 
will gather them together at Palestine ready to strike a final 
blow at the kingdom of Christ; but the blow will never be 
struck; for fire from heaven will come down upon their 
serried ranks, and consume them all : the devil and his angels 
being cast into the lake of fire where Antichrist and the 
false prophet are. 

The next event will be the final resurrection of the dead ; 
followed by the last judgment. All whose names are not 
found written in the Lamb's Book of Life, will join the 
devil and his angels in the lake of fire; while the righteous 
will be taken by Christ to heaven. The present earth and 
heaven will then be consumed in the last great conflagration. 
A new heaven and new earth will be created; the New 
Jerusalem will descend out of heaven from God, and the 
throne of God and the Lamb will be set up in it. All the 
saints will gather there; and the millions of the saved shall 
walk in the light of God: they need neither sun nor moon 
to shine there: — 

"For the glory of God will lighten it, and the Lamb is the 
light thereof." 

"Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell 
with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall 
be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all 
tears from their eyes ; and there shall be no more death, neither 
sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain : for 
the former things are passed away." Rev. 21 :3-4. 

"Seeing then brethren that we look for such things;" let us 
"Gird up the loins of our mind, be sober, and hope to the end 
for the grace that is to be brought unto us at the revelation of 
Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1 113. 

"COME, LORD JESUS; COME QUICKLY." 



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